A Federal Judge Overturning the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber’s Death Sentences.

But make no mistake: Dzhokhar will spend his remaining days locked up in prison, with the only matter remaining being whether he will die by execution.

• Background: In 2015, then 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted of 30 counts by a federal jury for his involvement in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which left three dead and more than 260 others wounded – many with permanent injures.
• Why: The appeal was heard by a three-judge panel that ruled in Tsarnaev’s favor, reversing 3 convictions (one of which included a death sentence) and vacating 5 death sentences. They found the trial judge failed to impanel an impartial jury in the highly publicized trial, which was held in the city where the bombing took place.
• Big Picture: The decision comes just weeks after the federal government carried out its first three executions since 2003.