Katy Boston Marathon bombing survivor expected to testify

Rebekah DiMartino learns to walk on new prosthetic leg

KATY, Texas – Rebekah DiMartino, of Katy, was badly injured in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, but she is a fighter who is now learning to walk on her new prosthetic leg.

Related: Local Boston Marathon bomb survivor walks on a new leg in the new year

In February, DiMartino will take the stand and testify against the surviving suspect.

"I've come to peace with it. At first I was dreading it. I just realized it is part of it," DiMartino told Local 2. "It may be a good closure. I don't think we'll ever fully get closure from this, but at least it's a point for moving forward."

Jury selection has begun in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is charged in the terrorist attack that killed three people and left hundreds injured. DiMartino is one of the survivors who will testify.

"It's something that has been hard for me to wrap my head around, but at the same time it gives me another platform to say, 'Hey look, this isn't going to stop me. You may have tried to hurt a lot of people, but you've made us all stronger,'" she said.

Tsarnaev could face life in prison or the death penalty if he's convicted. The possibility of a death sentence weighs heavily on DiMartino.

"I just don't feel like I could ever make that decision. My prayers are with the jury members that do have to," DiMartino said.

Right now, her life is moving forward. Just this week, DiMartino was fitted with her new prosthetic leg, walking out of her doctor's office for the first time.

"I was just a couple of feet from a bomb and I'm here to tell you about it. It may have taken my leg, but my body was able to shield my 5-year-old son, (who is) now 7 years old," DiMartino said. "That is worth every single hardship I've had to go through since then."


About the Authors:

News anchor, Mrs. and happy mommy of four boys.