2006年VOA标准英语-US Jury Rules Moussaoui Eligible for Death

By Jim Malone
Washington
03 April 2006

Zacarias Moussaoui (File photo)   
  
A federal jury in Virginia decided¹ Monday that convicted terror conspirator² Zacarias Moussaoui is eligible³ for the death penalty in the only criminal trial stemming from the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

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Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six terror conspiracy⁴ charges a year ago. So the jury in the case was faced with a decision as to whether he should be eligible for the death penalty or be sentenced to life in prison without chance for parole.

Federal court spokesman Edward Adams relayed the jury's response to a series of questions to reporters waiting outside the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington.

"At least one victim died on September 11, 2001, as a direct result of the defendant's act," said Edward Adams. "The jury answered yes. By this verdict, the jury has found that death is a possible sentence in this case."

After the judge and jury left the courtroom, Moussaoui, long known for his courtroom outbursts, shouted: "You will never get my blood. God curse you all."

The jury's unanimous decision that Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty now leads to a second phase in the trial to determine if the confessed al-Qaida conspirator should be put to death for his role in the 9/11 attacks and for withholding⁵ information from investigators⁶.

This second part of the penalty phase of the trial is expected to take weeks and will involve testimony⁷ from relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks who will talk about the human impact of the tragedy.

Moussaoui was arrested three weeks before the 9/11 attacks in Minnesota and admitted lying to investigators to keep them from uncovering the al-Qaida plot.

Moussaoui initially⁸ testified that he had little knowledge of the attacks and was to be part of a follow-on attack that used airplanes to hit other high profile targets, including the White House.

But last week, Moussaoui startled the courtroom by claiming that he was part of the 9/11 plot and was supposed to fly a fifth hijacked⁹ airliner¹⁰ into the White House on September 11.

Prosecutors¹¹ felt his testimony vindicated¹² their contention¹³ that he should be put to death for remaining silent about the plot after his arrest.

Defense¹⁴ attorneys attempted to cast doubt on Moussaoui's new testimony by reading statements from captured al-Qaida plotters who said Moussaoui was not reliable.

Relatives of victims of the 9/11 attacks had a range of reactions to the news that Moussaoui will be eligible for the death penalty.

Rosemary Dillard's husband Eddie was on the hijacked plane that slammed into the Pentagon on September 11.

"Yes, he deserves it, 2,997 people proved that he deserves it and my husband Eddie," said Rosemary Dillard. "But it is not just for my husband. It is about what he did to the United States. He did that to all of you."

Abraham Scott lost his wife, Janice, in the attacks. She was working inside the Pentagon when the plane hit.

"I thought I would be elated, but I wasn't," said Abraham Scott. "I don't think that Moussaoui is totally to blame. Even though I do believe that he deserves the death penalty, I also equally blame the government for not acting¹⁵ on certain indicators¹⁶ that could have prevented 9/11 from happening."

But others who lost family members in the attacks said they would have preferred that the jury remove the death penalty as an option, and instead send Moussaoui to prison for life without chance for parole.

Moussaoui is the only person tried and convicted in connection with the September 11 attacks.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 conspirator   

n.阴谋者，谋叛者

参考例句：

• We started abusing him,one conspirator after another adding his bitter words.我们这几个预谋者一个接一个地咒骂他，恶狠狠地骂个不停。
• A conspirator is not of the stuff to bear surprises.谋反者是经不起惊吓的。

3 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 withholding   

扣缴税款

参考例句：

• She was accused of withholding information from the police. 她被指控对警方知情不报。
• The judge suspected the witness was withholding information. 法官怀疑见证人在隐瞒情况。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

10 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

11 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

16 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。