A victim of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings shared her feelings regarding perpetrator Dzokhar Tsarnaev's guilty verdict in a recent news conference.
Tsarnaev was found guilty on all 30 counts, including four counts of murder. He faces the death penalty.
"I'm very thankful for each of the jury members," DiMartino said during the televised conference. "For every single person that was involved that day our lives have been changed forever.
"There have been children taken and parents that will never get to put them to bed at night and innocent lives that were watching people running in the race."
DiMartino and her then-five-year-old son attended the race as spectators, and were both injured in the first blast. The 27-year-old's lower limbs took the brunt of the impact, and her left leg was amputated below the knee.
"Our lives will never be the same, and I hope with this that we move forward," DiMartino said. "We are here for a reason. There is a bigger plan."
The mother's faith has been the key to her physical and emotional recovery, and she found the strength to testify at Tsarnaev's trial. During her testimony she looked at the 21-year-old, and although he did not look back, she found that she was no longer afraid of him and experienced some closure.
DiMartino is training for this year's marathon, which will take place in two weeks. She told attendees at Houston's First Baptist Church "Learning to Walk" series that what Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, meant for evil, God meant for good.
"I feel like through this God has given me such an incredible platform to help and inspire and encourage other people," said DiMartino.
