Do you agree with the sentence?
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I'm pretty shocked by this to be honest. I'm opposed to capital punishment in any circumstance.
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I live a mile and a half from the courthouse and have been listening to the circling helicopters for the past two hours, so I've been thinking about it a lot.
I think he deserves the worst possible kind of punishment. I don't know that the many years of appeals going forward will provide more closure than locking him up in an awful max security prison. The youngest victims family wrote an open letter against the death penalty in this case for the sake of closure for their family, and it really stuck with me.
I am incredibly glad I wasn't on that jury.
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I'm against capital punishment, but I'm not particularly surprised by this.
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@Foodnerd81: I agree - really just so glad this kind of decision wasn't on my shoulders.
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Good riddance.
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I have mixed feelings. I'm not opposed to the death penalty, but I prefer whatever is the worse outcome for him, and I'm not sure if that's death or spending the next 70 years behind bars. A life in prison sounds awful, but it's still a life. I'm sure you will still have moments of joy while in prison, and I don't want him to have that, ever.
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Meh, fuck this guy
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I agree with their decision.
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@blackbird: yes.
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Here is the letter from Martin Richard's family. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/16/end-anguish-drop-death-penalty/ocQLejp8H2vesDavItHIEN/story.html
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@twodoghouse: I'm also against capital punishment. I am surprised given that it's Boston. If this were down in my neck of the woods I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
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I'm also against capital punishment and I'm vaguely worried whenever we kill terrorists that it martyrs them and fuels their cause.
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I'm torn because I am against capital punishment but hearing about horrific crimes makes me understand why others are not against it. I'm not really surprised but I would not have wanted to be on that jury. I was on a murder jury once and it was traumatizing even though it wasn't a death penalty case.
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@Foodnerd81: I can't even imagine what that family went through.... I dont have an issue with him getting the death penalty if that decision was ever actually final. The letter is right they will appeal and it will last years before he is actually served his sentence, meanwhile costing tax payers millions, because of due process.
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@lawbee11: I guess I wasn't surprised because it just seemed so personal? The hatred I've seen from Boston friends, even just marathon-running friends is so raw and intense. Plus, the case seems pretty cut and dry so it takes away the doubt of "are we sentencing someone to death who didn't really commit the crime?" I think that does make a difference in some people's minds who would otherwise be against the death penalty.
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@Chillybear: exactly.
@lawbee11: I saw a poll that said only about a quarter of Bostonians are in favor of death penalty in general, and more like 15% support it in this case. But that poll was taken right after the boston Globe published that letter which likely swayed people (like me).
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@Foodnerd81: @lawbee11: The New York Times reported that the jurors had to be pro death penalty in order to serve on the jury.
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I'm surprised by this. I'm in Boston and I haven't sensed much support for the death penalty here. Honestly, I didn't realize it was even legal in this state before this case. Personally I'm opposed to it. I wanted him to rot in prison living every day of his life knowing how much pain and suffering he caused.
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@Cherrybee: I didn't realize that, but it makes more sense now.
@catlady: I truly don't think he would really care about the pain and suffering he caused while rotting in prison. However, I still think that might have been a worse punishment and I would prefer this to be really over. And MA doesn't have the death penalty but this was a federal case.
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@Cherrybee: Jurors in death penalty cases are routinely asked if they are willing to vote for the death penalty, if it is appropriate. It's part of the juror selection process and it happens in all death penalty cases. The jurors are supposed to be finders of facts, not voters or legislators, when they are in the jury box.
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@twodoghouse: agree. I'm opposed to the death penalty and I've been surprised at myself for how neutral I feel about the verdict. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that there is absolutely no question that he did it - no one has to wonder "what if." That coupled with the recent story in local. news about his youngest victim reaching for his mom as he was hit by the bomb has me feeling much less anti death penalty than I usually do. Full disclosure - Boston native so I assume that is coloring how I see this as well.
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I wish they had given him life. I think it would have been harsher.
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@Foodnerd81: You have a point. I guess I hoped with time he would repent. He would have had a long life ahead of him in prison. That makes sense about it being a federal case, I don't know why I forgot that.
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@BananaPancakes: you explained my thoughts perfectly.
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@honeybear: That does make sense when you put it like that.... because someone like me might deliberately find him not guilty (or whatever) because i don't agree with the punishment. But it still doesn't sit right with me somehow..... and the term "death qualified" is horrific. Its all just horrific from start to finish.
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@Madison43: Really That is so awful
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I'm not against the death penalty but I much prefer oeople to suffer in prison. Death is way easier!
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I don't agree with the death penalty under any circumstances, so I don't like it. But I'm also not that surprised, there is so much emotion and anger tied with this case.
@Cherrybee: I don't think it's pro-death penalty so much as open to it. Similar to you, I'm not sure I could, in good conscience, bring myself to find someone guilty if I knew they would get the death penalty, so they would definitely reject me!
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@Cherrybee: @MrsSCB: the verdict on guilt and the decision about sentencing are two separate phases of the trial but the same jury panel considers both pieces. If only one juror had decided not to vote for the death penalty -- regardless of whether they thought it wasn't warranted or thought life in prison was a fate worse than death or any other reason -- he automatically would have gotten life in prison. So finding a person guilty doesn't necessarily equate to finding him deserving of death. Honestly, I'm surprised the jury was able to reach a unanimous decision, I expected that at least one juror would hold out for life in prison and that the automatic sentence would have been imposed.
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@PurplePeony: that's good to know. And I guess given that they all had to at least be open to the death penalty, this is such a heinous case I'm not that surprised they all went for it. Like if there's any case you'd vote for the death penalty, it would probably be this one.
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@blackbird: +1!
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Given that the death penalty is still legal (and I would argue it shouldn't be anymore, since so many cases later get overturned) I can't imagine a scenario more deserving of that punishment, perhaps except for his older brother.
The DC sniper also got the dealth penalty, and his son (15 or 16 at the time of their killing spree) got life in prison. I thought that was also appropriate.
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I wish he would talk.
I hope the victims and victims' families are at peace and am glad I didn't have to make this decision.
damn proud of Dic today
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I'm always against the death penalty. No matter what.
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I am against the death penalty for every legal, logical, practical and emotional reason but especially because I don't believe in giving any government the power to take a life.
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I'm not generally in favor of the death penalty, but in this case I'm in favor. What he did was soulless and horrific. He placed bombs behind a row of CHILDREN.
As a previous poster pointed out, in this case there's no shred of doubt he committed the crime. The guy deserves to die, IMO. He's a disgusting piece of human garbage.
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I hate when people say, I'm against the death penalty but this person should die. so you are not against the death penalty. Because really the only people we are talking about are really really bad people.
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I'm against the death penalty. I wish it would be abolished.
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@BananaPancakes: this. Exactly. One of my childhood friends lost his cousin that day. And Tamerlan is suspected to be behind the murder of another childhood friend. All of this just hit so close to home, and although I'm not usually so vengeful and angry- I just want what is worst for this guy.
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78 comments