Video: Columbus Runners React To Boston Bombing Verdict

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – In the two years since the Boston bombing, Columbus resident Melissa Atkins has thought about that day on a regular basis.

Melissa was standing on the street, cheering for her husband Brad Atkins, a local runner.

The day went from being wonderful, she remembers, to tragic.

“I actually stood across from where that second bomb was placed. And the people I met that day, around me; you know, I think about them. Like, they were standing there when that bomb went off. And I wonder what happened to them, how it affected them. And you know, I thank God all the time. It’s like my angels were with me that day. I left and I was safe, but there were so many people who weren’t safe,” explained Melissa Atkins.

Atkins believes the death penalty is too easy for the Boston bomber and believes life in prison would be the best sentence.

The couple remains active in the local running scene, Brad is the organizer for this year’s Columbus Pilgrimage 5K and Half Marathon.