Just getting there was a challenge - first the mountains of snow - and then the hassle for parking. It was all unfamiliar territory. I wasn’t even sure who was who for either the defense or prosecution. Slowly though it all came together and, like the dozens of other reporters and camera crews at the Moakley Federal Courthouse, we settled into a routine.
If I had the courtroom pass - I was sitting about 8 rows behind the defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. If not, I was sitting in one of two overflow rooms - which frankly were a lot more comfortable because at least you could talk. And you could see the defendant from the front.
The biggest shocker of the trial came on day one - that’s when Defense Attorney Judy Clarke said, “It was him” admitting her client is guilty. “So why try him?” she asks, and answers herself “because the government has elected to seek the death penalty”.
The evidence was overwhelming - the personal testimony heartbreaking. The father of 8-year-old Martin Richard saying “I knew I couldn’t save my son” so he moved on to save his daughter. One survivor I can't get out of my mind - a beautiful young woman named Jessica Kensky who wheeled into the courtroom - her bare stumps visible - telling a spellbound court about getting blown up - how she went into nurse mode tending to her gravely wounded husband - when someone yelled at her “You’re on fire ma’am!” She spoke bluntly of the bb’s that shredded her body - even her vagina. They were “war wounds” she said.
Seeing some of those victims in court every day made this act of terrorism so personal - so immediate and consequently made the trial important. The critics are wrong - this trial needed to take place even at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.
The defense put on a good effort. It’s most effective witnesses were Amanda Ransom, a one-time roommate of Katherine Russell and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who spoke about Tamerlan’s volatile temper and how he grew more radical over time. And Sister Helen Prejean -- the nun of "Dead Man Walking" fame -- did no harm, she was polished and precise saying Dzhokhar told her “No one deserves to suffer like they did.” But clearly the jury didn't buy his remorse or the notion that his brother controlled him.
The defense itself argued that Tsarnaev should “die it prison” saying, “It’s how that matters.” The jury has decided “how” and while everyone has an opinion, it’s only theirs that matters.
