Boston Marathon Bombing Survivors React to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Sentence
— -- Boston Marathon survivors reacted swiftly today after bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a jury in a Boston federal courthouse.
Sydney Corcoran, who suffered a leg injury in the blast, tweeted:
Her mother, Celeste, lost both of her legs in the attack.
Adrianne Haslet-Davis, a dancer who lost a part of her leg, wrote on Twitter:
Rebekah Gregory, a survivor and amputee who returned this year to cross the marathon finish line, tweeted:
An officer wounded in the Boston Marathon bombing shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers was promoted today, just hours before a jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer Richard "Dic" Donohue, who was wounded in the shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers, returned to work earlier today, and was even promoted to sergeant. According to the MBTA Transit Police, Donohue said in a statement: "Just over two years after the events that impacted us as a community and a nation, we can finally close this chapter in our lives. The verdict, undoubtedly a difficult decision for the jury, gives me relief and closure as well as the ability to keep moving forward."
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in a statement: "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev coldly and callously perpetrated a terrorist attack that injured hundreds of Americans and ultimately took the lives of three individuals... We know all too well that no verdict can heal the souls of those who lost loved ones, nor the minds and bodies of those who suffered life-changing injuries from this cowardly attack. But the ultimate penalty is a fitting punishment for this horrific crime and we hope that the completion of this prosecution will bring some measure of closure to the victims and their families."
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said: "I want to thank the jurors and the judiciary for their service to our community and our country. I hope this verdict provides a small amount of closure to the survivors, families, and all impacted by the violent and tragic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon. We will forever remember and honor those who lost their lives and were affected by those senseless acts of violence on our City. Today, more than ever, we know that Boston is a City of hope, strength and resilience, that can overcome any challenge."
MIT Police Department Chief John DiFava said in a statement on Facebook: "I hope that the conclusion of the trial and the subsequent verdict can offer some kind of closure, no matter how small... We respect the judicial system in the United States and its well defined process. No verdict could erase the horrible tragedies that have occurred, and we respect the decision of the jury."
Tsarnaev was convicted by the same jury of seven women and five men last month of all 30 counts related to the deadly April 15, 2013 bombing. Three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and another 260 were injured when Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, detonated twin explosive devices near the finish line of the marathon.
Three days later, the brothers murdered MIT police officer Sean Collier.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police four days after the explosions.
The jury today found death the penalty was "appropriate" for six of the 17 death penalty eligible counts against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
