Image shows Boston Marathon bomber giving finger to jail camera

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Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Image shows Boston bomber giving finger to jail camera
Prosecutors say a photo of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev giving the finger to the security camera in his jail cell shows he simply doesn't care about the lives he took and the suffering he caused.

BOSTON -- Testimony is now underway in the penalty phase of the Boston Marathon bombing case. A jury will decide whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will get the death penalty or spend the rest of his life in prison.

Prosecutors began the day with an image they hope will keep the jury from sympathizing with the Tsarnaev. The never-before-seen image shows him giving the middle finger to a camera in a holding jail cell at his 2013 arraignment.

The prosecution told the jury the image shows he simply doesn't care about the lives he took and the suffering he caused. They called him unconcerned, unrepentant, and unchanged.

PHOTOS: The Boston Marathon Bombing

Survivors took the stand on Tuesday, including a woman who lost her legs in the attack -- and who described the "bloodcurdling screams" she heard. Celeste Corcoran said she was in such severe pain, she wanted to die -- but then decided she had to survive for her family.

Several jurors wiped away tears as the father of bombing victim Krystle Campbell described her as "the light of my life, every father's dream."

A mix-up led doctors to tell family members initially that she was in surgery after the bombing, but that she would survive.

Hours later, they learned from a homicide detective that she had died immediately.

And while prosecutors push for Tsarnaev to pay with his life, the defense will try to paint him as being under the influence of his older brother in the hopes of getting him life in prison without parole.

"If one juror votes for life, he won't get the death sentence," said Robert Bloom with Boston College Law School.

Outside of court Tuesday, a demonstration against the death penalty was held. Some survivors think it should be taken off the table. Rebekah Gregory, who lost a leg in the bombings and completed the Boston Marathon on Monday, is one of many who fear a death sentence could lead to years of appeals.

"Part of us getting on with our lives is this ending and it's not going to end when it keeps getting drawn out like this," she said.

The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the attacks, agrees. They wrote an open letter in the Boston Globe that reads: "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 defense will definitely find ways to use that," Bloom said.

Officials say Tsarnaev likely will not take the stand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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