Death Penalty

'Dead Man Walking' nun testifies Boston bomber appeared to regret his actions

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The nun portrayed by Susan Sarandon in the film Dead Man Walking testified on behalf of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday before the defense wrapped up its case.

Testifying during the penalty phase of Tsarnaev’s trial, Sister Helen Prejean said Tsarnaev told her that no one should have to suffer as his victims did, report the Boston Globe and Reuters.

“He said it emphatically,” Prejean testified. “I had every reason to think that he was taking it in and that he was genuinely sorry for what he did.”

Prejean, a death-penalty opponent, met with Tsarnaev five times in prison.

The government had sought to exclude Prejean’s testimony, according to prior coverage by the Boston Globe, summarized by the Sentencing Law and Policy blog.

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