Boston Marathon Bombings: One Month Later

It’s been exactly one month since two bombs exploded on Boylston Street near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, knocking runners off their feet and forcing bystanders to run for their lives.

People were frantic when the blasts went off seconds apart. Businesses were shut down as the FBI cordoned off the typically bustling Boylston Street area for 10 days. The heart of Boston became a blood-splattered crime scene, and the nation focused its attention on the site of what the UK Mirror called the "second worst" act of terror on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Three people died from injuries sustained in the bombing—29-year-old Arlington resident Krystle Campbell, eight-year-old Dorchester resident Martin Richard and 23-year-old Boston University student Lu Lingzi, a native of China. Around 260 people were injured in the blasts, many sustaining severe burns, shrapnel wounds and limb amputations.

Another death occurred days after the bombing, as police searched for the suspects in the attacks. MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, 27, was ambushed and allegedly killed by the brothers on April 18, the night they sought to flee the area to  where authorities believed another attack was planned.

Much information on the bombing suspects—two ethnic Chechen brothers living in Cambridge who were reportedly radicalized to become demonstratively anti-Western culture—has come out in the past 30 days as the victims convalesced and the deceased were mourned.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the elder of the brothers and the alleged mastermind of the bombings, was killed in an unprecedented gunfight in Watertown during the early morning hours of April 19. The town and much of the region was on state-mandated lockdown until late that evening.

A Watertown police officer gave a detailed account of the peaceful Armenian-populated suburb-turned-warzone on WBUR.com today.

Now, in death, Tamerlan Tsarnaev has become connected to a mysterious Waltham triple murder from 2011.

Authorities and Tsarnaev’s family struggled to find a place to bury Tamerlan Tsarnaev in early May. His body was eventually buried in a Virginia cemetery on May 9, according to CBS and other media outlets.

About 15 hours after Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed, younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, was found in a Watertown resident’s boat parked in a backyard. He was badly injured and immediately brought into police custody. He was initially unable to speak because of his injuries.

Dzhokhar faces the death penalty. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property. He’s being held at Fort Devens, a federal medical center in Ayer, MA, in a small cell with a steel door, according to the Huffington Post.

While the details were grisly on one side of this historic story, on the other, there were tales of triumph. Carlos Arredondo, a native of the parkway neighborhoods of Boston, was at the scene of the bombs helping people to safety. He’s been hailed a hero nationally ever since.

Jeff Bauman lost both legs in the blasts, but he has served as a point of pride for an already proud city as he recovers and adjusts to life. He was instrumental in helping authorities identify and track down the victims, according to Bloomberg.com.

Transit Police Officer Richard “Dic” Donohue was hit during the Watertown shootout, but he has relayed many hopeful messages to the public about his ongoing recovery.

The phrase “Boston Strong” emerged complete with hashtag accompaniment. Mayor Thomas Menino and Gov. Deval Patrick established The One Fund in support of the victims. Just this week, the fund eclipsed $30 million.

President Barack Obama joined city leaders at an interfaith ceremony on April 18 at a South End church, in an effort to provide perspective and collectively pray for the dead and wounded.

As investigators continue to peel away the layers of mounting evidence against the Tsarnaevs—and their cohorts: three of Dzhokhar’s University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth friends face federal charges after they allegedly helped to destroy evidence, and Tamerlan’s widow has agreed to help the prosecution—the citizens of Boston try to move on, though many are still struggling to cope after the attacks.

Several runners were unable to complete the 117th Boston Marathon because of the bombs, but that hasn't deterred others from planning to run the 118th race in 2014.

Charlestown Patch will continue to follow the Boston Marathon bombing stories—the criminal case against those believed to be responsible, the triumphs and challenges ahead for the survivors and the citywide response and impact in the aftermath of that tragic day. For the latest updates, videos, stories and more coverage, bookmark our Boston Marathon Bombing topic page.