Boston bombing survivor on Tsarnaev: ‘I think the death penalty is ultimately what he wants’
Rebekah Gregory, who wrote an open letter to the bomber after testifying against him, isn’t sure what his fate should be
The Boston Marathon bombing survivor who wrote an open letter to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hours after testifying at his federal death penalty trial says she hopes the guilty verdict will help her and other victims of the 2013 terror attack heal.
“I hope with this we can move forward,” Rebekah Gregory said on Wednesday, shortly after the jury found Tsarnaev guilty on all 30 counts for his role in the April 15, 2013, bombings that killed three people and injured nearly 300 others.
“I may be standing on one fake leg,” she told reporters outside her Katy, Texas, home, “but I am standing here stronger than ever because someone tried to destroy me, and he failed.”
An emotional Gregory mourned the “innocent lives” that were lost.
“There have been children taken, and parents that will never get to put them to bed at night again,” she said. “I am still so jumbled up by it.”
“What he blew up really did blow up,” Gregory told KTRK-TV. “He has given myself along with the other survivors a chance and a platform to help other people and do our parts in changing the world for the better.”
The 27-year-old, who had her left leg amputated below the knee in November after 17 surgeries failed to save it, said she is still coping with emotional stress as a result of the blasts.
“I have nightmares every night that someone is trying to kill me,” Gregory told ESPN. “So it’s very much a part of me still, and I know it’s always going to be there.”
She said she isn’t sure whether Tsarnaev should receive the death penalty.
“I feel like he doesn’t really care,” Gregory said. “I think the death penalty is ultimately what he wants. So I don’t know — life in prison alone with your thoughts — I think that might be ... I don’t know. I’m glad I’m not the jury.”
The penalty phase of Tsarnaev’s trial is expected to start next week.
“It’s hard,” Gregory said. “There’s no justice that can be brought to this, ever.”
Related: Victims, others react to Boston Marathon bombing verdicts
In her letter to Tsarnaev, Gregory wrote that the chance to testify against him alleviated fears that have lingered since the 2013 attack.
“Up until now, I have been truly scared of you and because of this, fearful of everything else people might be capable of,” Gregory wrote. “But today, all that changed. Because this afternoon, I got to walk into a courtroom and take my place at the witness stand, just a few feet away from where you were sitting. (I was WALKING. Did you get that?) And today I explained all the horrific details, of how you changed my life, to the people that literally hold YOURS in their hands. That’s a little scary right?
“So yes,” Gregory continued. “You did take a part of me. Congratulations you now have a leg up ... literally. But in so many ways, you saved my life. Because now, I am so much more appreciative of every new day I am given.”
She added: “So now ... while you are sitting in solitary confinement, (awaiting the verdict on your life), I will be actually ENJOYING everything this beautiful world has to offer. And guess what else? I will do so without fear....of YOU. Because now to me you’re a nobody, and it is official that you have lost. So man that really sucks for you bro. I truly hope it was worth it.”
