Suspect Throat Injury: Will Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Be Able To Talk To Investigators?

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the two brothers suspected in the Boston Marathon bombings and the only one surviving, may not be able to talk after suffering an injury to his throat and neck during shootouts with police, according to CNN. As such, it remains to be seen if or when he will be able to answer the questions of investigators. The suspect is in serious, but stable condition at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He will face federal terrorism charges as well as murder charges at the state level.

Law enforcement authorities have not released information on the exact nature of the suspect's injuries, but one official who spoke under conditions of anonymity told CNN that Tsarnaev had been "intubated and sedated".

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told reporters during a briefing on Saturday that he hoped Tsarnaev would survive "because we have a million questions, and those questions need to be answered. There are parts of the investigation, in terms of information and evidence, that still needs to be run to ground."

Authorities have not yet said if they have questioned the suspect. Upon being taken into custody, Tsarnaev was not read his Miranda rights, which inform a suspect of their right to remain silent to questioning. The Guardian reported that Massachusetts U.S. attorney Carmen Ortiz said that "a public safety exception" applied in the case which allows Tsarnaev -- an American citizen -- to be questioned without having been read his Miranda rights and without having a lawyer present. The public safety exception may be being invoked out of suspicion that Tsarnaev may have information about other plots or unexploded bombs.

Civil rights activists have denounced the decision. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement saying, "Every criminal defendant is entitled to be read Miranda rights. The public safety exception should be read narrowly. It applies only when there is a continued threat to public safety and is not an open-ended exception to the Miranda rule. Additionally, every criminal defendant has a right to be brought before a judge and to have access to counsel. We must not waiver from our tried and true justice system, even in the most difficult of times. Denial of rights is un-American and will only make it harder to obtain fair convictions."

Tsarnaev, 19, is accused of exploding two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last Monday along with his older brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died while fleeing police. The attacks killed 3 people and wounded over 170.