NOTE to students: Read the “Background” and see "Resources" before answering the questions.

1. Now that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been found guilty, what will the second phase of the trial determine?

2. a) What is a capital crime?
b) Define aggravating factors and mitigating factors.

3. What four aggravating factors did US Attorney General Eric Holder cite when calling for the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev?

4. What do jurors need to decide before determining what Tsarnaev’s sentence should be?

5. What sentence will Tsarnaev receive if the jurors are not unanimous in their decision?

6. Tsarnaev’s defense attorneys are not disputing his guilt, rather what punishment he deserves, arguing that he had difficult family circumstances and should therefore only be given life in prison. Read about the victims of the Boston bombing. Do you think Tsarnaev deserves the death penalty? Why or why not?