Boston bombing victim's parents oppose giving Tsarnaev the dealth penalty

(Image credit: AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins)

published 17 April 2015

In a Boston Globe op-ed, the parents of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, argue that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should not be given the death penalty. Tsarnaev was convicted on 30 counts in his trial for the bombing, and a jury is now deciding whether to give him a life in prison or the death penalty.

"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," Richard's parents wrote in the op-ed. "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."

Next week, the jury will begin the trial's penalty phase to determine Tsarnaev's punishment. But even if he is sentenced to the death penalty, there could still be a years-long appeals process.