Thursday the government rested its case in the sentencing phase of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Prosecutors worked hard to recapture the full horror of the attacks — and they largely succeeded.
Tsarnaev’s trial has been packed with emotionally devastating evidence, but over time, with repeated exposure, the impact of that evidence may have ebbed slightly. On Thursday, prosecutors tried to remedy that — revisiting key details from a different vantage point to restore their power.
Take, for example, that photo of Tsarnaev standing directly behind the family of 8-year-old Martin Richard right before the blasts. On Thursday, the government showed that image again, followed by a mock-up, placed on the floor in front of the jury, of the grate where the Richards were standing — and where Tsarnaev planted his bomb. The goal, it seemed, was to show in three dimensions just how close — and how cold-blooded — Tsarnaev had been.
Or take the surveillance video from the Forum restaurant that jurors first saw weeks ago. On Thursday, the government called Steve Woolfenden, a little-known survivor who’s visible in that footage and lost a leg in the attacks. He gave a riveting account of discovering that his 3-year-old son, Leo, had been injured — but realizing he couldn’t help him because of his own injury. When a bystander took Leo away, Woolfenden recalled, “I was completely terrified, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to see my son again.” When the video rolled — with everyone in court watching Woolfenden’s personal struggle--it was as fresh and as horrific as the first time it was played.
