by Art Lien | May 4, 2015 | Courtroom
Last Thursday, after lawyers in the Boston Marathon bombing trail spent over an hour meeting in chambers, Judge O’Toole announced that we had a sick juror and would recess till Monday.
I immediately made plans to secure a bicycle and take advantage of the opportunity to explore Boston, but it was not to be. I was called back to the courthouse for the arraignment of an ex-FBI charged with perjury in the Whitey Bulger trial.
One consolation, a group of musicians started playing on the main floor of the courthouse. I did this sketch from above.
Finally done with the arraignment, I headed to the hotel anticipating a quiet evening, maybe dinner with a friend, before flying back to Baltimore the next morning. But no, instead I had to rush off to Newark for the guilty plea Friday morning of Gov. Christie ally – not Kirstie Alley – David Wildstein in the Bridgegate scandal.
If it sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not. I really love this last minute stuff.
by Art Lien | Apr 29, 2015 | Courtroom
. . . two days ago, on Monday, but I was in DC for the same sex marriage arguments at the Supreme Court. I returned to the Boston courtroom today.
Until now the focus of the defense had been almost exclusively on Dzhokhar’s older brother Tamerlane.
Today we heard from a paramedic who worked on Tamerlan shortly before he died who testified the the older Tsarnaev was combative, even when mortally wounded. And then from a paramedic who treated Dzhokhar after he climbed out of the boat and surrendered. She said Dzhokhar put up no fight.
After that it was a string of character witnesses – teachers and friends who knew a different Tsarnaev than the one sitting in the courtroom today. All of them were on the stand a very short time.
So it wasn’t an uninteresting day, but nothing unexpected. I’ll just post the rest of today’s drawings and call it a day.
by Art Lien | Apr 24, 2015 | Courtroom
The humanity of victims caring for each other in the middle of the bombing mayhem contrasted with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s complete disregard and seeming lack of compassion as he just sat there. The last witness to testify yesterday as the government concluded its death penalty case was Steven Woolfenden. Steve was in front of the Forum restaurant with his son Leo in a stroller when the second bomb went off. They were right next to the Richard family as they tried to move away from the first bomb blast. Tsarnaev brushed past Woolfenden after he dropped his bomb and hurried away.
After the blast, Woolfenden, his leg blown off and his son taken to an ambulance, saw Denise Richard bent over her dying son Martin’s eviscerated body. He put a hand on her shoulder. She turned and asked him if he was okay.
by Art Lien | Apr 22, 2015 | Courtroom
More heartbreaking testimony today, from the family of MIT officer Sean Collier and Lingzi Lu’s aunt. The jury also heard from two more victims who suffered serious injuries. One, a ballroom dancer who lost a leg, glared at Tsarnaev as she left the witness stand.
The government also introduced into evidence the video still of Tsarnaev flipping the bird that was shown to the jury during opening statement. That led to the defense getting in the entire video of Tsarnaev in the courthouse holding cell. It shows the defendant primping his hair and mugging for the camera as he first flashes two fingers in a Vee and then the now infamous single digit.
by Art Lien | Apr 21, 2015 | Courtroom
I remember thinking that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared very cocky at his arraignment back in July, 2013. Well, that impression was confirmed today when the prosecution in its opening displayed a photo of Tsarnaev giving the finger to the camera in his holding cell at the courthouse the day of his arraignment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini displayed the photo of Tsarnaev along side smiling photos of his five dead victims. “This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” she told the jury, “unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged. Without remorse, he remains untouched by the grief and the loss he caused.”
The testimony today was painful and heartbreaking. Here are some sketches of the witnesses.
Courtroom sketching is a form of visual journalism or reportage drawing that is slowly dying out. Where once upon a time news organization each had their own artist covering a story, today a “pool” artist often sketches for all. It is a demanding and stressful discipline where the drawing is often done directly and under tight deadline.
After forty-five years of news sketching in courtrooms and congress I’m calling it quits. It’s been sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, almost always interesting. I’ve been lucky to work with some really great people. Don’t think I’ll miss it, but a little scared of not having a deadline.
While I won’t be sketching in court anymore, I may continue to post to this blog from time to time. Not sure what that might be. I’m about to start a new assignment documenting infrastructure and construction. Could be interesting.
