Dzhokhar Tsarnaev fue encontrado culpable el 8 de abril por su
participación en el bombardeo del maratón de Boston en
2013. En este acto murieron tres personas y cientos resultaron heridos. Ahora,
la atención se concentra en saber cual serála
situación del acusado: ¿pena de muerte o una vida tras las
rejas?
Los padres de dos víctimas han pedido al Departamento de
Justicia que perdone la vida de Tsarnaev. Bill y Denise Richards mostraron su
caso en una carta que emitieron en el periódico local The
Boston Globe este viernes. El hijo de ocho años de este
matrimonio fue asesinado en el ataque y su hija Jane perdióuna
pierna.
“Estamos a favor y apoyaríamos
la decisión del Departamento de Justicia de quitar de la mesa la pena
de muerte, esto a cambio de que el acusado pase el resto de su vida en prisión
sin posibilidad de salir”, escribieron los padres en la carta.
La pareja habla de lo tedioso que ha sido el proceso legal de
los últimos dos años y de el deseo que tienen de que
todo termine.
“Esperamos que nuestros hijos no tengan
que crecer con el doloroso recuerdo de lo que el acusado les quitó,
y los años que tomaría el proceso de la pena de muerte
dejarían estos sentimientos”.
De acuerdo a la familia Richards, Estados Unidos solo sanarádel
evento cuando las historias del acusado desaparezcan de los encabezados.
Lee la carta completa que fue publicada en The Boston Globe (en
inglés):
The past two years have been the most trying of our lives. Our family
has grieved, buried our young son, battled injuries, and endured numerous
surgeries—all
while trying to rebuild lives that will never be the same. We sat in the
courtroom, day after day, bearing witness to overwhelming evidence that
included graphic video and photographs, replicated bombs, and even the clothes
our son wore his last day alive. We are eternally grateful for the courage and
life-saving measures of first responders, Boston Police, the Boston Fire
Department, and Good Samaritans on April 15, 2013. We also thank the FBI and
other law enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice, and the
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office for leaving no stone unturned during the
investigation and trial.
But now that the tireless and committed prosecution team has ensured
that justice will be served, we urge the Department of Justice to bring the
case to a close. We are in favor of and would support the Department of Justice
in taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for the defendant
spending the rest of his life in prison without any possibility of release and
waiving all of his rights to appeal.
We understand all too well the heinousness and brutality of the crimes
committed. We were there. We lived it. The defendant murdered our 8-year-old
son, maimed our 7-year-old daughter, and stole part of our soul. We know that
the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued
pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving
the most painful day of our lives. We hope our two remaining children do not
have to grow up with the lingering, painful reminder of what the defendant took
from them, which years of appeals would undoubtedly bring.
For us, the story of Marathon Monday 2013 should not be defined by the
actions or beliefs of the defendant, but by the resiliency of the human spirit
and the rallying cries of this great city. We can never replace what was taken
from us, but we can continue to get up every morning and fight another day. As
long as the defendant is in the spotlight, we have no choice but to live a
story told on his terms, not ours. The minute the defendant fades from our
newspapers and TV screens is the minute we begin the process of rebuilding our
lives and our family.
This is a deeply personal issue and we can speak only for ourselves.
However, it is clear that peace of mind was taken not just from us, but from
all Americans. We honor those who were lost and wish continued strength for all
those who were injured. We believe that now is the time to turn the page, end
the anguish, and look toward a better future—for us,
for Boston, and for the country.
Con esta carta los Richards se unen a quienes piden que la vida
de Tsarnaev sea perdonada. Antes de que se anunciara el veredicto la senadora
de Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, dijo a la cadena de televisión
CBS que Tsarnaev debería de “morir en prisión”.
Massachusetts eliminóla pena capital en 1984 y la corte no
ha ejecutado a nadie desde 1947. Tsarnev podría ser castigado con
esta pena porque su delito es federal.
Aunque queda por ver cual seráel
castigo de Tsarnaev, la carta de los Richards hace reflexiones importantes.
Desde un punto de vista personal es entendible que la familia quiera cerrar
este capítulo de sus vidas.
La realidad es que la pena de muerte no es una solución
permanente y mandar al acusado a prisión de por vida sin oportunidad de salir
si lo es.