Boston Marathon - explosion

Bill and Denise Richard have come out in favor of a life sentence without the possibility of parole and provided he drops all appeals. Take death off the table and lock him away in a Super Max prison forever.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/16/end-anguish-drop-death-penalty/ocQLejp8H2vesDavItHIEN/story.html


"The past two years have been the most trying of our lives. Our family has grieved, buried our young son, battled injuries, and endured numerous surgeries — all while trying to rebuild lives that will never be the same. We sat in the courtroom, day after day, bearing witness to overwhelming evidence that included graphic video and photographs, replicated bombs, and even the clothes our son wore his last day alive. We are eternally grateful for the courage and life-saving measures of first responders, Boston Police, the Boston Fire Department, and good Samaritans on April 15, 2013. We also thank the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice, and the Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office for leaving no stone unturned during the investigation and trial.

But now that the tireless and committed prosecution team has ensured that justice will be served, we urge the Department of Justice to bring the case to a close. We are in favor of and would support the Department of Justice in taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for the defendant spending the rest of his life in prison without any possibility of release and waiving all of his rights to appeal.


We understand all too well the heinousness and brutality of the crimes committed. We were there. We lived it. The defendant murdered our 8-year-old son, maimed our 7-year-old daughter, and stole part of our soul. We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives. We hope our two remaining children do not have to grow up with the lingering, painful reminder of what the defendant took from them, which years of appeals would undoubtedly bring.

For us, the story of Marathon Monday 2013 should not be defined by the actions or beliefs of the defendant, but by the resiliency of the human spirit and the rallying cries of this great city. We can never replace what was taken from us, but we can continue to get up every morning and fight another day. As long as the defendant is in the spotlight, we have no choice but to live a story told on his terms, not ours. The minute the defendant fades from our newspapers and TV screens is the minute we begin the process of rebuilding our lives and our family.

This is a deeply personal issue and we can speak only for ourselves. However, it is clear that peace of mind was taken not just from us, but from all Americans. We honor those who were lost and wish continued strength for all those who were injured. We believe that now is the time to turn the page, end the anguish, and look toward a better future — for us, for Boston, and for the country."

Mine haven't changed. I'm conflicted over whether life or death is a better punishment for him, and I'm glad I don't have to make that call. I will be OK with whatever decision the jury makes. Given how unpopular the death penalty is here I would be surprised if they voted for it.

Jesus Christ. From the sentencing hearing just now:

Life in prison, SuperMax. Death penalty is too easy of a way out for him. Can't imagine the pain for the Richard's family and all the others who lost loved ones and/or were injured. Collier memorial at MIT gets dedicated next Wednesday. Tough couple of years for sure.

Today the jury is hearing what a wonderful child he was, complete with appearances from a schoolteacher or two. This I think is the kind of thing Martin Richard's parents didn't want to see happen when they urged the death penalty be dropped. There is nothing about this trial that is not absolutely heartbreaking and terrible.

Meanwhile back in Cambridge, the memorial to the slain MIT police officer, Sean Collier, was dedicated.

If you have the time, see the two links below. The second link is a 10 minute Youtube on how the Collier Memorial was constructed. If you have an interest in engineering or want to see something pretty cool and n awesome tribute, check it out.

http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/sean-collier-memorial-unveiled-0429

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3pNunxlfNM&feature=youtu.be

His aunt testifying brings him to tears - but not hearing about the agony his actions caused, seeing the pain right there in the courtroom?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/boston-marathon-bomber-cries-wipes-eyes-as-aunt-takes-stand/ar-BBj8DiA?ocid=HPCDHP

Just typical human nature. Not surprising. It will show jury that he is in the end a human with emotions .

He didn't sacrifice self in gun battle with cops. He did follow his big brother. He showed by crying that he regrets his current position.

We shouldn't kill this guy cause we are using exact same emotions to want to kill him as what he did to his victims.

We should be better and break this chain of violence.

JimmyV said:

Please. Not showing any emotion while pictures of your victims bleeding out are shown in the courtroom is not typical human nature. Not once did he react to a single shred of testimony. Not once, but auntie brings out the tears. I'm sure he regrets his current position - he got caught, was taken alive, and now faces punishment. But there has been zero indication he regrets participating in the bombing.

Fluff aside... this sums it up pretty well.

I tend to think the worst of such people- one could hardly blame me given this guy blew people to pieces and thought it was cool. So, I think his tears are not so much revealing that he is 'human in the end' more than 'poor me for getting caught blowing people to pieces I sure hope they let me live so I can be a pain in the ass behind bars'.

The weight of the event has likely sunk in now, but that hardly means we should exercise a gentle response. This guy is filth- plain and simple. He can go.