Boston Survivors Say 'Justice Has Prevailed'

Survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings say justice has prevailed after convicted killer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to die by lethal injection for his role in the 2013 attack.

A federal jury in Massachusetts returned the unanimous decision after more than 14 hours of deliberations carried out over three days.

The 21-year-old was earlier convicted of all 30 federal counts related to the attacks on 15 April 2013 which killed three people and injured 264 others.

Speaking after the sentencing, several survivors of the attack expressed their relief at the outcome of the trial.

Michael Ward, a firefighter who was off duty at the time of the attacks and who treated victims at the scene, said: "He's going to go to hell. That's where he wanted to go."

Mr Ward added: "I remember when those bombs went off and I remember the vile, disgusting thing that this person did.

"This is a matter of justice. No one's here celebrating. If you ask 10 people you'll get 10 different opinions.

"But ultimately, justice has prevailed today."

Liz Norden's two adult sons each lost a leg in the attacks.

She told reporters: "I feel justice for my kids. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Ballroom dancer and amputee Adrianne Haslet-Davis tweeted: "My heart is with our entire survivor community. I am thrilled with the verdict!"

The state of Massachusetts outlawed capital punishment in 1947 and opinion polls had suggested residents preferred a life sentence for Tsarnaev.

The death sentence was possible only under federal law, and some survivors have publicly opposed the death penalty.

In court for the verdict were Bill and Denise Richard, parents of Martin, the youngest victim to die in the attack.

They had called for Tsarnaev to be sentenced to life in prison to spare their family years of likely legal appeals by the bomber.

Another survivor of the attack, Laurie Scher, said the lengthy trial had "been healing" and helped her to forge strong friendships.

However, she added that the prospect of Tsarnaev's execution brought "no" relief.

"I have my personal feelings about that and I'd like to keep them to myself," Ms Scher said.

"I'm sure at one time in his life, he was a very lovely, caring young man.

"He turned into a monster. Why did that happen? We'll never know. My feelings on him are nothing but - what can I say?"

The jury decided Tsarnaev should face execution for the deaths of Martin Richard, 8, and student Lingzi Lu, 23.

They were the two people he was found directly responsible for killing when he placed one of the two pressure-cooker bombs.

The jury chose not to impose the death penalty for the death of Krystle Campbell, 29, who was killed by the other bomb left by Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan.

Jurors also decided against imposing the death penalty for the murder of policeman Sean Collier.

The defence had argued it was the older brother who shot the officer while the siblings were on the run.

The elder Tsarnaev, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene of a gun battle with police after his younger brother inadvertently ran him over with a car.