Seeking Death Penalty for Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Could Prove To Be Tough Legal Battle

Massachusetts not a state that executes prisoners very often

WASHINGTON (AP)—If the Obama administration tries for the death penalty against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, it could face a long, difficult legal battle in a state that hasn't seen an execution in nearly 70 years.

Attorney General Eric Holder will have to decide several months before the start of a trial—if there is one—whether to seek death for Tsarnaev. It is the highest-profile such decision yet to come before Holder, who personally opposes the death penalty.

He'll get plenty of advice.