For the survivors of the Boston marathon bombing, justice has been served. According to People, a Massachusetts-based jury handed down the death verdict to convicted bomber, 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is the youngest individual to be put on federal death row. The previous month, Tsarnaev was charged with 30 counts of federal criminal charges. Three died and more than 260 people were injured in the attack which happened in 2013.
Here are some of the reactions that People.com collected from social media posts of the victims:
1. Adrianne Haslet - A dancer whose leg was lost because of the crime:
"My heart is with our entire survivor community. I am thrilled with the verdict! #bostonstrong #bostonsafer"
2. Rebekah Gregory - An amputee marathon player:
"Completely numb... and waiting anxiously for the day this is really over. My heart and prayers are with my Boylston Street family."
3. Sydney Corcoran - A victim who sustained leg injury from the blast:
"My mother and I think that NOW he will go away and we will be able to move on. Justice. In his own words, "an eye for an eye".
Roseann Sdoia, another victim that sustained a leg injury from the blast told CBS News:
"I'm just moving forward and trying to put it behind me, and the more it's discussed, the more that it's in the way. So, for me it was just - glad that it was over."
But Bill and Denise Richard, whose son, Martin, died after the blast, while their daughter, Jane, almost didn't survive when the blast blowed off her leg, wanted a life sentence without any possibility of release, with Dzhokhar "waiving all of his rights to appeal," instead of the death penalty verdict. In an official statement addressed to The Boston Globe, the couple explained why.
"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."
Dzhokhar has been put on waiting list for a lethal injection death penalty. He reportedly has been given a right to make an appeal against the verdict, and this can drag on for years.
BBC reported that Tsarnaev could be detained in Terre Haute, Indiana, prior to execution.
According to Fox News, Tsarnaev's last witness, Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic church nun, revealed that despite Dzhokhar's stoic demeanor during court proceedings, he had shown remorse for his actions. She quoted him as saying, "No one deserves to suffer like they [bombing victims] did."
