Defense attorneys for accused Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev rested their case Tuesday, and now all that remains in closing statements before the jury deliberates.
The defense called only four witnesses over two days, according to a report by NBC News.
With a guilty verdict almost assured, his attorneys argued that Dzhokhar, 19 at the time of the bombings, was manipulated by his older brother Tamerlan (then 26) to do the bombings and attack police, according to the NBC report. Using this strategy, the defense seeks to avoid the death penalty being brought against their client.
Tamerlan was killed during the shootout when he was hit by bullets and run over by an SUV driven by Dzhokhar.
A cell-phone analyst testified that Dzhokhar was at UMass-Dartmouth when Tamerlan bought the components for the bombs used in the attacks, including the pressure cooks, according to a report by NECN.
Also, an FBI fingerprint examiner Elaina Graff said she found Tamerlan’s prints on the bomb components as well as the backpack in which it was carried, but not Dzhokhar’s, NECN reported. Under cross examination, Graff said it is not unusual not to find prints on bomb parts due to the high temperatures.
Jurors also saw autopsy photos of those killed by the bombs at the Marathon finish line – 8-year-old Martin Richard, 23-year-old Lingzi Lu, and Krystle Campbell, 29. Read more in this CNN story.
Closing hearings will he held Monday after which the jury will begin deliberations.