Tsarnaev Found Guilty On All Counts
OFFICER RICHARD DONOHUE, MBTA POLICE OFFICER INJURED IN SHOOTOUT: It's not a day to celebrate. I guess you could call it a bittersweet victory. Not out there cheering for what happened but I'm satisfied.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That was one of Dzokhar Tsarnaev's victims, Officer Dic Donohue reflecting on Tsarnaev being found guilty on all 30 counts. The jury must decide if he gets life in prison or death. Joining us, from just outside Boston, Newton, Massachusetts is Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst, and former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Mel Robbins, CNN commentator and legal analyst. Ladies, it's great to have both of you proud Bostonians here with us to talk about this morning. Mel, I want to start with you. The verdict was not a surprise. It was expected that he would be found guilty. What happened in Boston when the word went out that he was found guilty on all 30 counts?</s>MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR/LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Alisyn, it was interesting. I was in my car when the verdict was read and every single news station that you could switch the dial to was in unison covering this. It was not unexpected, but there was a very kind of somber, holding on to every word as the verdict was read. And I do think there was a collective sigh of relief as we heard all 30 counts come down and knew that the victims had stood strong. That the families had stood strong. That the justice system had stood strong and now we're bracing for what's going to happen next because it truly is about the sentencing phase -- Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: Let's talk about that because Juliette, there's this curious paradox, that happens often in death penalty cases where when you believe that the convict wants to be a martyr. Then the jurors think maybe to punish him more, we should not give him the death penalty, we should let him rot in jail. Do you think that that calculation is in the minds of these jurors?</s>JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, it absolutely should not be. What he wants is irrelevant to the deliberation about whether they will impose death so just from a legal matter. I actually take issue with the notion just as a national security expert with the notion that he wants to die and be a martyr. In fact, in counterterrorism what he did was typical of someone who doesn't want to die. I mean, he puts that bombs down, they try to hide. They try to escape. They were not suicide bombers. The only evidence we have of his desire to die is probably when he thought he was going to die, which was in the boat on that Friday. So this idea that we know what he wants is both irrelevant and I think we might be erroneous. So the jury has to look at the facts and decide.</s>CAMEROTA: Such interesting points. Mel, Bostonians in large part do not believe in the death penalty. Let me put up a poll that was taken by WBUR radio there. This was just two weeks ago, 62 percent of the respondents believed he should get life in prison. Only 27 percent believed that he should get the death penalty. Similarly this morning, the "Boston Globe" has put out an editorial and it was called spare Dzokhar Tsarnaev the death penalty. It says for jurors who believe execution should be reserved for the worst criminals, the lawyers laid out a clear path to conclude Dzokhar wasn't even the worst of the Tsarnaevs. Mel, does this mean that he will not get the death penalty?</s>ROBBINS: No, it only matters what the 12 jurors think in this particular case and what they ultimately vote and look, this is if there ever was a case where Bostonians and Massachusetts residents who are in the majority against the death penalty would vote for the death penalty, it would be this case. And there are people like me that don't believe in it for cost reasons, for humanity reasons, for where Bostonians and Massachusetts residents, who are in the majority against the death penalty would vote for the death penalty, it would be this case. And there are people like me that don't believe in it for cost reasons, for humanity reasons, for legal reasons, and then I was sitting yesterday, you know, in a store and talking to somebody about this case and a woman turned to me and just glared at me and said, were you there? I hope he dies. I wish we could stone him to death. And so you do have people in this state that have on one side a very measured approach and a philosophical approach about the death penalty, like myself, and you have people that are extremely emotional and want retribution and want a punishment that involves death. But it only matters what those 12 jurors are going to decide -- Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: Juliette, do we know how those 12 jurors are leaning?</s>KAYYEM: No. All we know is that they would be willing to impose the death penalty. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been seated in the original jury. That was part of the (inaudible) process. And just picking up on what Mel said at the beginning, you know, we're going to get to the probably more emotional in some way stage, more contentious, more controversial stage. I just think we can't say it enough how remarkable it is that this case took place in a federal district court, you know, just like every other criminal case. We've done a great job in demystifying terrorism in bringing Dzhokhar down to earth. I think it's important to say that because the national security circles there are a lot of questions about whether there should be military courts, U.S. courts. And I think that Boston and that court and the lawyers, all of them, proved that our justice system can handle this.</s>CAMEROTA: Such a great point. Boston proved that this can work in a regular federal court. Juliette Kayyem, Mel Robbins, thanks so much for coming to us from Boston this morning. Obviously, we will wait to see what the jury decides. Thanks so much, Ladies. Let's get over to Chris.</s>CUOMO: All right, Alisyn, the man who captured the shooting of Walter Scott on camera is speaking out for the first time and talking about what happened before he started recording, very important stuff. Listen to it ahead.