Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office broke the news shortly at around 2:15 p.m. on Twitter.

Prosecutors allege that Dzhokhar and his brother Tamerlan were responsible for planting two pressure cooker bombs near the Boston Marathon finish line that ultimately were responsible for killing three people and wounding more than 260 others.

Tamerlan was killed in a subsequent shootout with Boston police.

Of the 30 charges against Tsarnaev, 17 came with the possibility of the death penalty, the most prominent being using a weapon of mass destruction to kill. Court documents state that prosecutors will seek the death penalty for:

  • Conspiracy to Use a Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death;
  • Use of A Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death;
  • Possession and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death;
  • Conspiracy to Bomb a Place of Public Use Resulting in Death;
  • Bombing of a Place of Public Use Resulting in Death; and
  • Malicious Destruction of Property Resulting in Personal Injury and Death

This is the the 36th time U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has approved pursuing the death penalty; he, personally, does not support capital punishment. However, in the case of Tsarnaev, “The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision,” Holder said in a statement.

Slate, citing a New York Times report, notes that “only three people have been put to death by the U.S. government since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988,” adding that “in nearly half of such cases,” plea deals were struck and the death penalty punishment was withdrawn by prosecutors before trial.

Tsarnaev, 20, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His defense team includes Judy Clarke, who previously defended Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.

Mayor Marty Walsh is expected to issue a statement at 4:30 p.m.

This is a breaking story; the post will be updated as more information becomes available.

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