Will he get the death penalty?
Yes: | 28 (77.8%) | |
No: | 8 (22.2%) | |
Total: | 36 |
Quote:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Jurors in the death-penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui reached a verdict Monday on whether the confessed al-Qaida terror conspirator is eligible for execution.
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The verdict on Moussaoui, the only person to face charges in the U.S. in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, was being announced at 4 p.m. Monday, according to the court's Web site.
This first phase of the trial only determines Moussaoui's eligibility for the death penalty.
If jurors find he is eligible, it moves into a second phase to determine whether he deserves the death penalty. Victims of sept. 11, 2001 and their families will testify in this second phase.
If they find he is ineligible, he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison.
The jury began weighing Moussaoui's fate last Wednesday. During its deliberations, the jury has asked only one question, seeking a definition of "weapon of mass destruction." One of the three convictions for which Moussaoui could be executed is conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
The jurors were told that a plane used as a missile — the tactic employed on Sept. 11, 2001 — qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction.
So far, the jury has asked only one question, seeking a definition of "weapon of mass destruction." One of the three convictions for which Moussaoui could be executed is conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
The jurors were told that a plane used as a missile — the tactic employed on Sept. 11, 2001 — qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction.
Moussaoui is the only person in this country charged in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. He pleaded guilty in April to conspiring with al-Qaida to hijack aircraft and other crimes. The sentencing trial will determine his punishment — execution or life in prison.
The jury must find that Moussaoui was responsible for at least one death on 9/11 for him to be eligible for execution. If the jury finds him eligible for the death penalty, a second phase of the trial would be needed to determine the sentence.
Moussaoui was in jail at the time of the attacks, but prosecutors argue federal agents would have been able to thwart or at least minimize the attacks if he had revealed his al-Qaida membership and his terror plans when he was arrested and interrogated by federal agents.
ADVERTISEMENT
The verdict on Moussaoui, the only person to face charges in the U.S. in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, was being announced at 4 p.m. Monday, according to the court's Web site.
This first phase of the trial only determines Moussaoui's eligibility for the death penalty.
If jurors find he is eligible, it moves into a second phase to determine whether he deserves the death penalty. Victims of sept. 11, 2001 and their families will testify in this second phase.
If they find he is ineligible, he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison.
The jury began weighing Moussaoui's fate last Wednesday. During its deliberations, the jury has asked only one question, seeking a definition of "weapon of mass destruction." One of the three convictions for which Moussaoui could be executed is conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
The jurors were told that a plane used as a missile — the tactic employed on Sept. 11, 2001 — qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction.
So far, the jury has asked only one question, seeking a definition of "weapon of mass destruction." One of the three convictions for which Moussaoui could be executed is conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
The jurors were told that a plane used as a missile — the tactic employed on Sept. 11, 2001 — qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction.
Moussaoui is the only person in this country charged in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. He pleaded guilty in April to conspiring with al-Qaida to hijack aircraft and other crimes. The sentencing trial will determine his punishment — execution or life in prison.
The jury must find that Moussaoui was responsible for at least one death on 9/11 for him to be eligible for execution. If the jury finds him eligible for the death penalty, a second phase of the trial would be needed to determine the sentence.
Moussaoui was in jail at the time of the attacks, but prosecutors argue federal agents would have been able to thwart or at least minimize the attacks if he had revealed his al-Qaida membership and his terror plans when he was arrested and interrogated by federal agents.