Boston, (Samajweekly) A US federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who along with his brother planted homemade bombs near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring hundreds others.
The three-judge panel of the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts, issued the decision on Friday, citing errors in the proceedings, including the jury selection process, that had found Tsarnaev guilty and condemned him to death, reports Xinhua news agency.
The ruling, however, will not result in Tsarnaev being freed, and the death penalty can be revisited.
“Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him,” an excerpt of the ruling read.
Tsarnaev, 27, was convicted in 2015 on 30 charges, including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction, for planting pressure cooker bombs at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.
Besides the three victims, the bombings injured more than 260 others.
Tsarnaev has been serving his sentence in a prison in the western state of Colorado.
His brother, Tamerlan died in a gun battle with police days three days after the attack.
The brothers were Kyrgyz-American nationals of Chechen descent.
