Testimony in the Boston Marathon bombing trial will likely come to an end next week, according to court officials. On Monday, the defense is hoping to top off its witness list in the penalty phase with a famous anti-death penalty advocate.
Sister Helen Prejean--- of the movie Dead Man Walking fame --is the subject of a legal tug of war between the defense and US prosecutors. Lead defense attorney Judy Clarke wants to bring the nun made famous by (Academy Award-winning) actress Susan Sarandonto the witness stand in a last ditch effort to convince the jury to spare Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s life.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb signaled the government’s intention to file a motion to exclude Prejean's testimony—hinting that the Justice Dept fears her impact in this heavily Catholic community in undermining their objective to win a unanimous jury decision condemning the defendant to death.
The defense has called 40 witnesses so far, and will wrap up its testimony early next week. The government will rebut, and there will be closing statements from both sides before the jury convenes behind closed doors to consider Tsarnaev’s fate.
