(CNN) — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers Wednesday he would decide by a Friday deadline whether to seek the death penalty in federal court for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev.
Authorities allege Tsarnaev, a Chechnya-born American, and his brother Tamerlan planted two homemade bombs near the finish line of the April 15 Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 250.
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was killed three days later, triggering the massive manhunt that led to Tsarnaev’s capture. His brother was shot and killed by police during the manhunt.
Holder made Wednesday’s comment at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Dzhokar Tsarnaev is charged with 30 federal counts stemming from the attack. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The-CNN-Wire
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