U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch gave her stamp of approval for the death sentence of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, calling it a “fitting punishment”after the verdict came down Friday.
“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,” Lynch said in a statement. “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.”
The April 15, 2013 bombings during the Boston Marathon killed four and injured hundreds. The jury–seven women and five men–found Tsarnaev guilty of all 30 counts against him and sentenced him to death on 6 counts.
The jury found that Tsarnaev was without remorse for his actions and that the defense’s argument that he was a victim of his older brother’s radicalization didn’t hold water.
From Lynch’s statement:
“Dzhokhar Tsarnaev coldly and callously perpetrated a terrorist attack that injured hundreds of Americans and ultimately took the lives of three individuals: Krystle Marie Campbell, a 29-year-old native of Medford; Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate student from China; and Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy from Dorchester who was watching the marathon with his family just a few feet from the second bomb. In the aftermath of the attack, Tsarnaev and his brother murdered Sean Collier, a 27-year-old patrol officer on the MIT campus, extinguishing a life dedicated to family and service.”
Her words were harsher than many police officials who released statements, including MIT Police Chief John DiFava, who had an officer killed by the bombers.
Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh responded saying he hoped the victims now could have closure.
“We will forever remember and honor those who lost their lives and were affected by those senseless acts of violence on our City,” Walsh said in a statement after the ruling Friday. “Today, more than ever, we know that Boston is a City of hope, strength and resilience, that can overcome any challenge.”
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