Dzhokhar Tsarnaev charged with using weapon of mass destruction at Boston Marathon

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Terror suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged on Monday with two counts of using a weapon of mass destruction to kill, injure and cause widespread damage at the Boston Marathon a week ago. If convicted, the 19-year-old could face the death penalty.  Three people were killed and more than 200 others wounded when two powerful homemade bombs exploded near the race’s finish line.  Tsarnaev made his initial appearance before a magistrate judge in his hospital bed at the heavily guarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he remains in serious condition. According to a federal official, Tsarnaev is sedated and unable to speak.  Tsarnaev is charged with one count of “using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (namely, an improvised explosive device or IED) against persons and property within the United States resulting in death, and one count of malicious destruction of property by means of an explosive device resulting in death.” If convicted, Tsarnaev could face the death penalty.  According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston, the judge advised Tsarnaev of his rights and the charges against him. Tsarnaev declined to answer bail questions and agreed to a probable cause hearing, set for May 30.  “Court is satisfied that the defendant is alert and able to respond to the charges,” the criminal complaint unsealed Monday read. Tsarnaev, who had been detained by the FBI, is now in the custody of U.S. marshals….

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