Court cases that are in the national spotlight tend to drag on, especially if capital punishment is involved.
In hopes to avoid that, the parents of the youngest Boston Marathon Bombing victim, Martin Richard, hope the state forgoes its attempt to give Dzhokhar Tsarnaev the death penalty. They'd rather see him spend the rest of his life in jail starting immediately, with no chance of ever getting out.
"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," Bill and Denise Richard, whose son was only 8 years old at the time of the bombing, wrote in an essay in Friday's Boston Globe.
As NBC News notes, Tsarnaev is eventually sentenced to death, "the execution will undoubtedly be delayed by an extensive appeals process that typically lasts years."
Tsarnaev is charged with 30 counts regarding his involvement in the incident, 17 of which carry capital punishment. Bill Richard testified on the state's behalf during the first face of Tsarnaev's trial. He gave a firsthand account of seeing his son die.
Bill and Denise Richard believe a potentially long process involving capital punishment would be difficult on all involved, especially their two other children, both of of whom were at the marathon two years ago.
"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," the parents wrote in the essay. "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."
Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, released a statement regarding the effort made by Bill and Denise Richard, according to NBC News.
"I care deeply about their views and the views of the other victims and survivors," she said. "As the case moves forward we will continue to do all we can to protect and vindicate those injured and those who have passed away."
