Verdict Phase News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The prosecution seizes on moments like that saying these are signs that this is a kid who had love and support and confidence and still chose to make the decisions that he made and that is why the prosecution says that the death sentence is the only just sentence. >> is anyone on the jury giving away as to how all of this is going over? >> you know it's very tough to tell. unlike the first phase of this trial, the verdict phase of the trial, and unlike the first phase of the penalty phase when prosecution called forth those witnesses, they have a lot of witnesses, victims, survivors, who were ...

That are conspiracy you've got 27 counts that are these so-called substantive counts. that can mean that it is the defendant who carried them out or simply that he was involved in them. all of these counts have language pertaining to aiding and abetting. you'll know that that's a large part of this case. you have these two brothers who the prosecution said carried out these crimes together. you have the defense that said really, it was tamerlan's idea and dzhokhar followed. in the verdict phase of the case what matters is whether the defendant was involved in each of these acts whether he aide...

From the defense. remember, jake the defense only put four witnesses on the stand during the verdict phase of this trial. it will be their job to convince juror that's tsarnaev's life should be saved. they'll be making the argument that we've begun to hear, that tamerlan was the mastermind, dzhokhar was easily influenced. you'll hear much more about his background, about his family, why they say he was struggling in school, why he was particularly susceptible to tamerlan in this case, jake. >> axe and ra, thank you so much. also in massachusetts, a just learned a jury will pick up deliberation...

The prosecution spent weeks calling witnesses testifying in graphic detail about what they had experienced. very compelling. by contrast the defense calls a handful of people. very technical testimony. what are they doing? they're looking past the verdict phase and skipping ahead to the sentencing phase. >> reporter: the defense for dzhokhar tsarnaev starts with his own attorney admitting in opening statements it was him. it ends with his lawyers calling just four witnesses to the stand. key pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution are proof, the defense says of their theory that tamerl...

Unarmed black man and the jury acquitted him. so the defense attorney says it would not be beyond human nature for her to feel that she needs to win this case. don't forget, of course, in the state of florida, prosecutors are elected. so there may be a little tinge of political pressure, he says, in a case like this. richard. >> kerry, talk about how the community is reacting now that we're in the verdict phase. we have, again, a black teenager that was killed. we have michael dunn, who is white. how are they reacting now that we're in the verdict stage? >> reporter: well, it's no short sense ...