Justice Dept. Seeks Death Penalty for Tsarnaev

[Content Note: Death penalty; terrorism.]

Welp:

The Justice Department has notified a federal judge that it intends to seek the death penalty if a jury convicts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for last April's bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon.

Tsarnaev is awaiting trial on charges that he and his brother built and planted two pressure-cooker bombs that killed three people and injured at least 260 others. He is also charged with killing an MIT campus police officer.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement: "After consideration of the relevant facts, the applicable regulations and the submissions made by the defendant's counsel, I have determined that the United States will seek the death penalty in this matter. The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision."

The resultant harm compels us to kill him.

I don't have anything to add to what moderator Scott Madin said on Twitter: "DoJ is seeking the death penalty for Tsarnaev. That's a shame, but I'm not very surprised."

Yep.

UPDATE: Mixed reactions, naturally, from the survivors of the attack.