article: Boston bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev has been thrown another lifeline by two of his victims. Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, who lost limbs in the   2013 marathon, today opposed the death penalty as a means of punishment for their attacker, urging others to 'overcome the impulse for vengeance.' The couple's statement of compassion follows a similar appeal made by the family of an eight-year-old boy, Martin Richard, who was killed in the blast. His seven-year-old sister, Jane, lost a leg. This week, after finding Tsaernaev guilty on all 30 counts related to the April 15, 2013, attack, a jury will decide whether to sentence Tsarnaev to death or life in prison without parole. 'We must overcome the impulse for vengeance': Married couple Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes have joined the appeals calling for Dzhokar Tsarnaev to be sentenced to life in prison rather than death . Emotional: The couple who lost a leg each in the blast said their position is highly emotional and practical . Moving on: Here they are pictured completing the Boston Marathon in wheelchairs on the one-year anniversary . In a statement to The Boston Globe, Kensky and Downes said: 'If there is anyone who deserves the ultimate punishment, it is the defendant. However, we must overcome the impulse for vengeance.' They call their position 'intensely emotional and profoundly practical.' The victims aren't the first to speak out against the death penalty in Tsarnaev's high-profile trial. The Boston Globe editorial board issued similar sentiments and last week Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said Tsarnaev should 'die in prison'. Like the Richards, Kensky and Downes call for life in prison without parole or appeals to ensure Tsarnaev 'disappears from our collective consciousness as soon as possible.' The Richards made their appeal in a moving op-ed for the Boston Globe, published last Tuesday, just a day after the two-year anniversary of their son Martin's death. While the Richards say they are thankful to the government prosecutors for their 'tireless and committed' work to bring justice, they are now asking them to drop the fight for execution and sign a plea deal to send the 21-year-old to jail for the rest of his life. No to execution: The family of bombing victim Martin Richard wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe, saying they oppose the death penalty for terrorist Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The family is pictured on the two-year anniversary of the attack. Clockwise from top left: Denise Richard, Bill Richard, Henry Richard and Jane Richard . Moments before: Martin Richard is seen circled in blue on the day of the Marathon. Behind him walks Tsarnaev, carrying a backpack believed to have held one of the two bombs . Brothers: Tsarnaev's (right) defense attorneys have tried to paint him as secondary in a plot orchestrated by his extreme older brother Tamerlan (left).  Tamerlan died a few days after the bombing in a shootout with police . 'We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives,' the Richards wrote. 'We hope our two remaining children do not have to grow up with the lingering, painful reminder of what the defendant took from them, which years of appeals would undoubtedly bring.' They say sentencing Tsarnaev to death will only bring continued pain for themselves and the other hundreds of bombing victims. Victim: Martin Richard died at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 . 'As long as the defendant is in the spotlight, we have no choice but to live a story told on his terms, not ours. 'The minute the defendant fades from our newspapers and TV screens is the minute we begin the process of rebuilding our lives and our family,' they wrote. The Richards brought their three kids out to watch the Marathon two years ago, and were standing just steps away from where Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan (who died in a shootout with police a few days later) dropped off two pressure cooker bombs. Little Martin died in the blasts and his sister Jane lost a leg. During the course of Tsarnaev's trial, photos were shown in court of the moments before he dropped off a bomb in a backpack, strolling just behind the Richard family lined up against a gate at the finish line. On the day the op-ed was published, the Richard family revisited the finish line to take part in a memorial. The family were pictured hugging and crying at the emotional ceremony. The death penalty is outlawed in Massachusetts, where the trial is taking place, but since Tsarnaev is being judged in federal court, execution is still a sentencing option. However, experts say that the jurors may sway towards life in prison, considering the state's generally liberally view on the controversial issue. Tsarnaev's lead defense attorney is Judy Clarke, a woman who specializes in helping high-profile clients like the Unabomber escape the death penalty. Clarke and the rest of Tsarnaev's legal team have been trying to paint their client as a gullible young man who was a secondary player in her older brother's terrorist plot. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
highlights: Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes call their view 'emotional and practical'
  Their words come after similar statement from family of eight-year-old Martin Richards, who was killed in the blast, and his sister Jane who lost a leg .
  Jury will decide on Tuesday whether Dzhokar Tsarnaev gets death penalty .
  Two weeks ago he was found guilty on all 30 counts relating to the bombing .
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