Parents of 8-Year-Old Boy Killed in Marathon Bombings Don’t Want Tsarnaev to Get Death Penalty

[morningfog]

Last edited Fri Apr 17, 2015, 09:54 AM - Edit history (1)

The parents of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombings two years ago, have writtten a plea to end the attention convicted killer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has received and spare him from the death penalty.

In an essay written for The Boston Globe, Bill and Denise Richard ask that the case come to a close, writing, “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.”

The essay continues:

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.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/04/16/parents-year-old-boy-killed-marathon-bombings-don-want-tsarnaev-get-death-penalty/RV4ziGRsSPJfi85KWp2NFM/story.html?p1=feature_stack_1_hp

[morningfog]

1. Kick.

[uppityperson]

2. k&r for all those affected, seems like good reasoning for them.

[cwydro]

3. Kick.

Poor family.

[brer cat]

4. Thank you for posting this, morningfog.

I am adding a link directly to the essay written by the Richards, and adding a very poignant statement that adds a positive note to this most painful experience:

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.

The epitome of #BostonStrong. I pray that they find peace.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/16/end-anguish-drop-death-penalty/ocQLejp8H2vesDavItHIEN/story.html#

[morningfog]

5. And this is how front page of the Globe appears today:

Actually, I'll add that to the OP too.

[Jenoch]

6. I am against capital punishment.

I feel even more against capital punishment when the convict wishes to die.

[jtuck004]

7. Oh, please. The crowd would prefer you toss him in the street and they attack him like

mad dogs.

Just like Oklahoma City. One or two people with basic humanity, the others beating up dark-skinned folks and looking to create more tragedy. But they killed McVeigh, things didn't get any better.

Interesting how these cases seem to become less about justice and more about vengeance.

[Agschmid]

9. I'm not so sure thats what the crowd wants here.

[jtuck004]

11. Having been in OKC for that one, far worse than Boston, and reading the comments

and other info that comes out, I get a different read. Especially in this country that went to war with an innocent one to get vengeance for New York. We are still killing and being killed over that one.

But you see it differently, and that's ok.

[Agschmid]

13. I think (and I take a big leap here) Mass. sees it differently.

It's ones of those times I'm really proud of where I live.

[Warpy]

27. And I'm proud of having survived it for over 20 years

It's all the Irish there. Mostly, we don't want our enemies dead. We want them to live long and miserable lives.

[Blue_Adept]

10. Nope. Not here

The numbers hover around 60% that do not want the death penalty. Those that do are around 31% with the rest uncertain. And even that drops to 26% when polling just Boston proper.

We don't have the death penalty. We got rid of it for a reason. And that mindset has stuck with us since.

So, your statement about "the crowd" here is flat out wrong.

[Agschmid]

12. Yup.

[liberal from boston]

23. Death Penalty

So true Blue_Adept. I live in Boston in Dorchester, the neighborhood where the Richard family lives & overwhelmingly relatives, neighbors have voiced their opposition to the death penalty of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. God Bless the Richard Family.

[AgingAmerican]

14. So true

Which is why we have a criminal justice system. Because revenge isn't justice.

[jtuck004]

15. Yeah. Have a trial, then execute him. Much prettier. Ask any black person

about the concept of justice in this country.

[AgingAmerican]

18. The death penalty is revenge

...IMHO. It is also barbaric and regressive, just like the GOP.

[Agschmid]

8. Kick.

Agree.

[dickthegrouch]

16. While I would not want to administer the death penalty

I think it's a very important statement for 12 Jurors to be able to make that they consider the crime heinous enough to warrant the ultimate penalty.

It's also probably a profound life-altering event to have the knowledge that one's life might end on a specific date and time. And an even more sobering event every time a new court agrees with the initial assessment.

I'd prefer that murderers and terrorists be worked to death, like the rest of us, and provide some worth to the human race to mitigate the worthlessness they show so easily.

[951-Riverside]

17. He should get 21 years max like in Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_Norway

Depriving someone of liberty for life is just as bad as the death penalty. It amazes me how many progressive people who are anti death penalty as perfectly okay with caging someone for the rest of their life.

[B2G]

19. They wanted life with no possiblity for release

That's what he got. That's what he deserves.

[morningfog]

21. He hasn't been sentenced yet.

[ncjustice80]

24. So you think he deserves torture?

21 years should be the max. Your support of torture ia duly noted though.

[morningfog]

25. You don't know what you're talking about.

You have no idea who you are talking to. Duly note my ass.

[Agschmid]

28. 21 years seems rather arbitrary no?

[Warren DeMontague]

29. You can duly note that I fully support tossing him in a concrete cage for the rest of his life, too.

Please, put me on the dreaded list of unprogressively bad and mean people who are insufficiently sympathetic to the idea that the guy who giggled as he put down a body-shredding explosive backpack next to a 6 year old girl and an 8 year old boy, should be free to walk in 21 years because it would be "mean" to "deprive him of liberty for his entire life".



He blew his chance at liberty when he deliberately blew up innocent people. families, children. Permanently. Fuck him.

8 decades or so locked up? Tough shit.

[morningfog]

20. I agree. Especially given his age.

Although, I would support a life sentence which included parole eligibility after 15 or 21 years.

[Warren DeMontague]

33. Let him get all excited to go in front of a parole board every 2 years

As long as we're guaranteed that they will go "no. Fuck you, now get back in your shitty cell."

That's fine with me.

[NuclearDem]

31. ...

You're not even trying anymore.

[alphafemale]

34. 21 years so another child dies screaming with their guts in their lap

You are an asshole.

[treestar]

22. Another reason to drop the death penalty

It does not even give the victims the vengeance its proponents want. As they said, it would give him more attention.

[Warpy]

26. I know where they're coming from

Having him killed in my name would make it harder, too, with years to sweat out between sentencing and execution and the knowledge that by the time the needle went into his arm, he would most likely be a different human being from the one who followed his crazy big brother in to mayhem.

As long as he's prevented from doing it again, it's sufficient. It was in my own case, too.

[tularetom]

30. Well, they just don't understand - this is America, we need vengeance

After all, we're going to fry this asshat for them, so that they can achieve "closure" (whatever the fuck that is). They should be grateful.

They'll come around, they just need a pep talk from Nancy Grace.

[Warren DeMontague]

32. Apparently some people here think it would be unacceptably cruel to put him in prison for life.

Even though that IS what the parents want.

Hell, why lock him up at all?