The Boston Marathon Bombing: Key questions from the Netflix documentary

14 April 2023, 18:41

American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing is available on Netflix. Picture: Netflix

By Jenny Mensah

The Netflix docuseries takes a look at the events surrounding the shocking terrorist attack, which took place in April 2013.

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Netflix have released a new docuseries to mark the 10th anniversary of The Boston Marathon Bombing.

The shocking event, which saw the world-famous sporting event marred by a terrorist attack on 15th April 2013, is the subject of a new three-part series that blends archive footage with chilling reenactments and new interviews.

Get the key questions surrounding the horrific event answered below.

American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing | Official Trailer | Netflix

What and when was The Boston Marathon Bombing?

The Boston Marathon Bombing was a terrorist attack which took place on 15th April 2013, which took place at the annual Boston Marathon. It saw two brothers, named Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev plant two homemade pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the race.

What happened after the Boston Marathon Bombing?

The bombing resulted in a manhunt, which saw 26 year old Tamerlan and his younger 19-year-old brother Dzhokhar wreak havoc across Boston. They killed a member of the police, Officer Sean Collier, while attempting to steal his gun then stole a vehicle, which was tracked by officials to Laurel Street in the suburb of Watertown. The brothers then engaged in a shoot-out with the police, which inevitably ended Tamerlan's life. Tamerlan was shot multiple times, but still charged the police. His brother Dzhokhar tried to make an escape in an SUV, but ended up running over his brother and dragging his body by around 20 feet.

After the shootout, Dzhokhar fled in the SUV. However 18 hours later, he was found hiding one block away hidden underneath tarpaulin in a boat. He was captured alive and was arrested.

Who were the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing?

The Boston Marathon Bombing claimed the lives of Krystle Campbell, 29, Lu Lingzi, 23, and eight year old Martin Richard. There were also over 260 survivors from the bombs, which sustained various injuries, including shattered bones, severe burns, shrapnel wounds and lost limbs. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan also killed Officer Sean Collier on the campus of MIT while attempting to steal his gun on 18th April 2013.

What was the Boston Bomber's sentence?

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty of seven different charges, including four counts of murder. He was sentenced to death and transferred to a maximum security jail in Colorado. Tsarnaev appealed the sentence citing errors in jury selection. In Jult 2020 a panel of three judges overturned the death sentence, citing that the judge din't take into account how much the Boston-based jury would be swayed by their prior knowledge of the event.

In March 2021 the Department of Justice argued for the Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty for Tsarnaev and they did. A year later a vote of 6-3 saw the Supreme Court overturn the ruling and putting Tsarnaev back on death row. His attorney is still trying to appeal this decision.

Where is the Boston Marathon Bomber now?

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is currently at a maximum security penitentiary ADX Florence in Colorado. Eventually, if his sentence of death is not overturned again, Tsarnaev will be sent to prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where federal death row inmates are held before they are executed.

What was the Boston Bomber film?

Patriots Day, which was released in 2016 and stars the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze, is a film about the Boston Marathon Bomber and the subsequent manhunt. The film, which is directed by Peter Berg and written by Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer, was based on the book Boston Strong by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge.