Boston Marathon bomber Dzhohkar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death Friday. But his execution may not happen for decades — if ever.
A lengthy appellate process, an effective moratorium on federal executions and declining support among Americans for capital punishment all suggest that Tsarnaev's death by lethal injection is far from a sure thing, according to death penalty experts.
Instead, it may end as a purely symbolic judgment.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.