Regina runners relieved by Boston Marathon bomber sentence

“Today is the first day I’ve felt relief of some sort,” explained Lisa Schwann, another Regina runner who ran the marathon. “I think a lot of people are feeling relief, that were there, and it’s just because it is a sense of closure.”

Schwann was in the finisher’s area just over a block away when the bombs went off. Both she and Pappas said they have been watching the case play out in court quite closely.

She felt Tsarnaev got what he deserved Friday afternoon.

“Based on all the people that he’s hurt and he really didn’t show any regret of any kind and yeah, I believe the punishment fits the crime in this case for sure,” she said.

“I actually am glad that he’s got death because there will be closure. Yeah, there might be an appeal but he did receive several counts of death so I think that’s inevitable. It’s hard to relive and to listen to the testimonies and relive what happened.”

Unlike Pappas, Schwann doesn’t think life in person would have sufficed. She was under the impression Tsarnaev would have had several rights, such as being able to have visitors, write letters and use the internet. As well, she believed he wouldn’t be put in solitary confinement.

“He would be given so many rights that it really wouldn’t be prison for him so I am glad that in that case that he did get death,” she said.

Because she was in an accident Schwann has not been able to go back to Boston to compete in the marathon since 2013, but said she’d like to again one day. Pappas hasn’t gone back either, however he did reveal he has qualified for the 2016 race.

“I’m going to go enjoy the race and put all the bad emotion that came out of this terrorist event behind us and move forward,” he said.

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by Kevin Martel

Regina runners relieved by Boston Marathon bomber sentence

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