The jury for the trial of the Boston Marathon bomber declared Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on April 8 on all 30 charges, but has not yet declared a sentence. The penalty phase, or period when a sentence is decided, is still underway.

Dzokhar Tsarnaev was arrested on April 19, 2013 for planting and detonating two pressure cooker bombs, which are improvised explosives designed to spread high-velocity shrapnel, with his older brother Tamerlan, killing three and injuring over 260.

Of the 30 charges, some of which include the use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death, 17 have capital punishment as a possible consequence.

Tsarnaev has been exceedingly stoic during the trial. Present reporters from diverse publications, including the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and BBC, have all attested to his passivity. Only once has he ever broken this façade, weeping when an aunt, Patimat Suleimanova, took the stand.

The defense claims that Dzhokhar’s older brother, Tamerlan, was a great influence on him. Judy Clark, one of Tsarnaev’s defense attorneys, said that “Dzhokhar fully participated in the events, but if not for Tamerlan, it would not have happened.”

According to the Boston Globe, the defense has also stated that Tsarnaev lived among a tumultuous family. His parents both divorced and moved back to Russia, leaving Tamerlan in charge of the household.

Dzhokhar himself has allegedly told investigators that he and his brother had learned how to construct the pressure cooker bombs from Inspire, an online propaganda magazine published by Al Qaeda in English.

Friends of Tsarnaev from before the bombings stated that he had sported no signs of extremism and had a clean criminal record. It seemed possible that Tsarnaev’s newfound radicality could have been the result of his brother’s influence.

Sentencing Tsarnaev to death would automatically trigger a number of lengthy, expensive appeals even before any additional appeals are requested. According to a 2010 government study, the average condemned prisoner waits 178 months until his actual execution.

Many have come forth with their own interpretation of how Tsarnaev’s sentence will influence survivors’ families, terrorism and America.

Sophomore Steven Cao is opposed to the death penalty for Tsarnaev.

“I remember researching this before, and the death penalty actually costs more than spending life in prison,” he said. “I think it’s fine to put him in prison because there’s a possibility that he might become a better person.”

The parents of 8-year-old victim Martin Richard argue that the lengthy appeals associated with the death penalty would allow for extra years of media coverage, delaying justice for survivors and reminding them of the Boston Marathon.

“We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives,” Bill and Denise Richard wrote in a statement published by the Boston Globe on April 16.

Others have adopted a more political viewpoint, saying that execution would only martyr Tsarnaev, and could inspire future terrorist activity.

If Tsarnaev receives the death penalty, he will likely be executed in Terre Haute, Indiana. If he receives life in prison, he will likely be incarcerated in ADX Florence, a super-maximum security (highest security level) prison near Florence, Colorado.

The penalty phase, or period in which the court decides the sentence, for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial began on April 21 and resumed on May 4.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 13, 2015.