Testimony complete in penalty phase of Tsarnaev trial
By Samantha Lavien
Testimony is now complete in the penalty phase for convicted bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
The defense finished their case by calling sister Helen Prejean, an anti-death penalty advocate who was portrayed in the movie Dead Man Walking.
Prejean told jurors she’s spoken with the 21-year-old on multiple occasions.
When talking about the crimes he committed, she says, “He simply said no one deserves to suffer like that.”
Prejean said she noticed a pain in Tsarnaev’s voice when he made that remark and believes he is “genuinely remorseful.”
Throughout the months of testimony in both trial phases the only sign of emotion publicly seen by Tsarnaev was when he cried during testimony from his aunt who traveled over from Russia.
The government called two witnesses for rebuttal on Monday. They both spoke about the specific conditions Tsarnaev would face if sentenced to life in prison.
During the penalty phase the defense called a total 44 witnesses and the government called 19.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday and the case is expected to go to the jury this week.
© WLNE-TV 2015
