Jury ends day without bombing-case verdict
BOSTON – Jurors in the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have finished their first full day of deliberations without reaching a verdict.
The federal jury must decide whether the 21-year-old Tsarnaev should be sentenced to death or life in prison for his role in the deadly 2013 attack.
Jurors began deliberating late Wednesday and continued all day Thursday.
Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line April 15, 2013. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was killed days later during a citywide manhunt.
Tsarnaev was convicted last month of all 30 federal charges against him, including 17 that carry the possibility of the death penalty.
The jury will resume deliberations Friday.
Official claims VA is wasting billions
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs is improperly spending at least $5 billion a year for medical care and supplies being purchased in violation of required practices for competitive bidding and written contracts, a senior VA official said Thursday.
“Gross mismanagement” by senior agency leaders has wasted billions of dollars and made a “mockery” of federal laws regarding purchasing of goods and services, said Jan Frye, deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics.
Illegal purchases have been made for pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies, putting veterans at risk and exposing the agency to widespread “fraud, waste and abuse,” Frye said.
VA Secretary Robert McDonald said in a statement Thursday that he appreciates the issues Frye brought to light.
Associated Press
