Robert O'Block reports that federal authorities have charged Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with using a 'weapon of mass destruction.' He has been charged on a federal level, leaving open the possibility of the death penalty. Tsarnaev currently cannot speak as the result of a gunshot wound to the throat. He has been communicating through nodding and writing. The brothers allegedly used low-grade but deadly explosives that detonated a block apart. There is speculation that the two were planning more attacks in other locations.

There were three killed from the two blasts and more than 200 injured, but considering the power of the explosions, it could have been much worse. It appeared that the two brothers did not have an escape plan. The black jacket and white hat that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wore on the day of the bombings were found in his dorm room.

When the criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Boston, it ended the debate over how this terrorist attack, the first successful one since 9/11, should be handled. There were some in Congress that thought he should be designated as an "enemy combatant." This would allow the government to charge him under the laws of war or they could hold him indefinitely. White House press secretary Jay Carney stated on Monday at a White House news debriefing that "the suspect cannot be tried in a military commission under federal law because he is a U.S. citizen. "We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice."

Brought to you by Robert O'Block.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/alleged-bombers-aunt-tamerlan-tsarnaev-was-religious-but-not-radical/2013/04/22/ca8f3214-ab5c-11e2-a198-99893f10d6dd_story.html

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Robert O'Block has found a live video feed with updates on the pursuit of the Boston suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, from Cambridge, MA. The other suspect, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed last night during a shootout with police.

Boston skyline

To view the video, click here.

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Image: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-978674p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">spirit of america</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Shutterstock.com</a>

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Robert O'Block reports that a computer forensic investigator testified in Middlesex Superior Court that shortly after Nathaniel Fujita was thought to have killed his ex-girlfriend and dumped her body in a marsh, he did an Internet search to find out if water erases fingerprints. The evidence was found on the former Wayland High School football star's laptop. "The evidence from a search of the former Wayland High School football star’s laptop followed a dramatic moment in the Woburn courtroom when a prosecutor walked slowly past each juror while holding up a leopard-print dress with spaghetti straps."

Her parents formed the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund after their daughter’s death, which supports programs to promote healthy teen relationships, as well as the arts and community service.

Lauren Astley and Fujita had dated throughout high school and their families had been close. They both appeared to have bright futures ahead of them. He was a star football player and had been accepted to Trinity College. She was a talented singer who was looking forward to rooming with her friends at college. The murder rocked the small town of Wayland and each day of the trial, the courtroom was filled with her friends and family.

After the sentencing at a press conference, Prosecutor Lisa McGovern said that she looked for a “message of hope in this horror.”

“Perhaps the foil here, the message is also that most men do not commit violence against women,” she said. “There are fathers in this case, the fathers of the beautiful women who you saw testify who are also disgusted by the idea that a man would use his strength in that way.”

Brought to you by Robert O'Block.

Source: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/02/official_fujita_searched_web_after_slay

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Robert O'Block reports that the massive investigation has begun on the very complex crime scene in Boston. Federal agents and police officers have been conducting an intense search of the 15 blocks around the Boston Marathon finish line. Among other things, they are looking for metal fragments that will give them clues in regards to the types of bombs that devastated the area on Monday. Danny Defenbaugh, the former FBI inspector in charge of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing investigation said, “It’s very tedious and complex work, because you literally are looking at components that now have changed because of the explosions.” According to U.S. Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas), forensic test results for the materials and explosives used to make the bombs could be completed as early as today. Read the full story here.

Brought to you by Robert O'Block.

Source: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/boston_bombing_a_painstaking_venture_for_forensics_experts

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Robert O'Block reports that Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, has been arrested as a suspect in relation to the ricin letters sent to  Senator Roger Wicker and President Obama. Curtis believed that the government was trying to ruin his reputation and had hurt his cleaning business. He claimed to have uncovered a government conspiracy while working in a Mississippi hospital from 1998-2000 after uncovering a fridge full of body parts. For more information, click here.

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Robert O'Block reports that Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, is preparing missiles to be ready to be launched for South Korea.  Americans do not believe that North Korea has the capability of striking the U.S. at this time, but is concerned about overseas military bases closer to North Korea such as Guam, Japan, and South Korea.

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Robert O'Block reports that two teenagers have been arrested in the killing of a 13-month-old baby boy in Georgia. The mother, Sherry West, was held up by the young men Thursday morning. After exclaiming that she didn't have any money, they threatened to kill her and her baby. Still stating she did not have any money, they shot her in the leg and then killed her child. One of the involved assailants is 17 and will be tried as an adult. Information on the other teenager, a 14-year-old, cannot be released due to his age.

Brought to you by Robert O'Block.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/us/georgia-baby-killed/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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