LINK: “Our Whole World Exploded:” Victims Testify During Tsarnaev Sentencing Trial
Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun based in New Orleans, took the stand Monday as the last of more than 40 defense witnesses in the penalty phase of the Boston bombing trial.
Prejean, one of the best known anti-death penalty advocates in the country, who became famous when her book Dead Man Walking was made into a major motion picture, told the jury that she met Tsarnaev at prison in March and discussed religion, Tsarnaev’s crimes, and his victims.
Prejean testified that when they discuss the bombing victims Tsarnaev told her, “No one deserves to suffer like they did.”
"I just had every reason to believe he was taking it in and was genuinely sorry for what he did,” Prejean told the jury.
Prejean said Tsarnaev’s voice “had pain in it.”
The government had tried to block Prejean from testifying, arguing the relevance of her testimony.
On cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Weinreb asked Prejean if her death penalty advocacy group was funded by book sales and speaking engagements. She told him it is.
In her rebuttal, Tsarnaev Attorney Miriam Conrad asked Prejean if the defense was paying her to testify.
“Not a dime,” Prejean said.
After nine days of testimony, Tsarnaev’s team rested its case.
Sister Helen Prejean
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
LINK: Boston Bombing Victim’s Parents Don’t Want Tsarnaev To Get The Death Penalty
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1PdVDgP
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