Reaction to the Tsarnaev guilty verdict

Speaking on behalf of the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings, Karen Brassard said Tuesday’s guilty verdict against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would helpthose affected by the tragedy get “back to some sense of normalcy.”

Standing outside the federal courthouse in South Boston, with a stiff wind and freezing rain whipping off the harbor, Brassard, who was injured by one of the blasts in April 2013, said the marathon bombings would “always be part of my life.”

Brassard thanked prosecutors, FBI and police for their work on the case, saying the bombing survivors and families of the victims were thankful for their work on the case.

“We’re obviously grateful for the outcome today,” said Brassard. “It’s not a happy occasion, but it’s something that we can put, you know, one more step behind us.”

Brassard thought Tsarnaev appeared to be “arrogant” during the court proceedings. She said he was a grown man who should be able to understand his choices and the consequences that go along with them.

Liz Norden, whose two sons, JP and Paul, lost limbs in the blast, said the guilty verdicts were “what I was hoping for.”

The scene outside the courthouse was a media circus. More than two dozen television crews set up shop as news choppers hovered overhead. Police used bomb sniffing dogs to check unattended backpacks. A single man was protesting jihad. He held a sign that read in part “(Expletive) the Islamic terrorists.”

Heather Abbott, who lost her left leg below the knee from the bombing, said in a statement, “Nothing can ever replace the lives that were lost or changed forever, but at least there is some relief in knowing that justice is served and responsibility will be taken.”

Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs in one of the blasts, said in a statement, “Today’s verdict will never replace the lives that were lost and so dramatically changed, but it is a relief, and one step closer to closure.”

After the guilty verdict came down, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh released a statement which read, “I am thankful that this phase of the trial has come to an end and am hopeful for a swift sentencing process. I hope today’s verdict provides a small amount of closure for the survivors, families, and all impacted by the violent and tragic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon. The incidents of those days have forever left a mark on our city. As we remember those who lost so much, we reflect on how tragedy revealed our deepest values, and the best of who we are as a community.”

Gov. Charlie Baker applauded the guilty verdicts.

“I hope this brings some degree of closure to those individuals and their families whose lives were changed forever on that horrific day,” he said in a statement.