Sentenced to death, Boston Marathon bomber could live for decades - MSN

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhohkar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death on Friday. But his execution may not happen for decades - if ever.

A lengthy appellate process, an effective moratorium on federal executions and declining support among Americans for capital punishment all suggest that Tsarnaev's death by lethal injection is far from a sure thing, according to death penalty experts. Instead, it may end as a purely symbolic judgment.

"With every passing year, the likelihood of execution will diminish," said Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University who has studied capital punishment.

That said, many of the issues that typically draw criticisms of death penalty sentences, such as inadequate legal counsel and post-conviction exonerations, are not present in the Tsarnaev case. His legal team included one of the most respected death penalty lawyers in the country, Judy Clarke, and she did not attempt to argue his innocence at trial. - Read More at  MSN

Sentenced to death, Boston Marathon bomber could live for ...

Boston bomber Tsarnaev sentenced to death - More at Reuters