(MyFoxBoston.com) -- The government tried to keep her out of the trial, and in many ways, Sister Helen Prejean, the famous Catholic nun, could be the defense's most important witness.
Prejean testified that Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev expressed remorse to her. The question for juror and survivors becomes, do they believe it?
"I think as much as he pretends to want to be a martyr I think that he's scared to death. I think he's doing whatever he has to do to stay alive," said survivor Karen Brassard in her New Hampshire home.
Sister Prejean, of "Dead Man Walking" fame, told jurors Monday she has met with Tsarnaev five times since March and said he told her of the marathon bombing victims, "No one deserves to suffer like they did."
Of his remarks, she said, "I had every reason to believe it was sincere."
Brassard was in the courtroom Monday.
The mother of two was at the site of the first bomb, watching the marathon with her husband and daughter and family friends Sydney and Celeste Corcoran. Celeste lost both of her legs. All three Brassards sustained leg injuries.
Brassard says she believes Sister Prejean truly believes Tsarnaev is remorseful, but Brassard doesn't believe him.
"I think she's seeing what she hopes to see in a person because he hasn't shown any remorse," she said, "I mean she's seen him five times and we've seen him five months and haven't seen any respect or any remorse, and my guess would be that's more true to life than what he showed to her."
Jurors will have to decide for themselves in just a few days whether Sister Prejean had any impact on them.
Brassard said after a long journey of soul searching she wants the death penalty for Tsarnaev.
Jurors are set to begin deliberations later this week. It only takes one juror to spare Tsarnaev's life, and they must fill out the entire jury slip for all 17 death penalty counts.
Cox Media Group
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