Bill and Denise Richard were fixtures at Tsarnaev’s trial, which ended April 8 with the 21-year-old being convicted on all 30 counts, 17 of which were capital offenses.
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Jane Richard, brother Martin and a memorial to him at the bombing site. (via SN Archive)
The Richard family suffered unimaginable loss on April 15, 2013. Eight-year-old Martin was one of three people killed in the bombings. Daughter Jane, 7, lost her left leg. Denise Richard was left blind in one eye.
But the Richards wrote in a letter to The Boston Globe saying they would prefer life in prison for Tsarnaev as long as he will never be released and waives his right to appeal. Their letter reads in part:
The sentencing phase of Tsarnaev’s trial begins Tuesday and could take a month, with two outcomes possible: life in prison without parole or death.
“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.”
UPDATE: Federal prosecutors won’t change their plans to satisfy the Richard family, according to The Boston Globe. In a statement, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said she has spoken to other victims, and “many have strong views” on how Tsarnaev should be punished.
