Jessica Kensky

Jessica Kensky testified for the prosecution on Day 29 about the marathon explosion and its physical consequences for her and her husband, Patrick Downes. Under Steven D. Mellin's questioning, she described being thrown by the blast and trying to help Patrick before a rescuer told her she was on fire. Rescuers extinguished her burning clothing and carried her to the medical tent.

Kensky recounted emergency surgery, burns, and wounds containing shrapnel, dirt, and clothing fragments. Her left leg was amputated below the knee immediately after the bombing. She described repeated surgeries and consultations aimed at saving her right leg before its amputation on January 21, 2015. Her testimony also addressed Patrick's amputation and infection, their separate hospital stays, rehabilitation, and difficulty finding accessible housing.

Before she took the stand, the defense sought to restrict her account to injuries and their immediate consequences rather than her subsequent history. The prosecution argued that her later amputation remained evidence of bombing-caused physical injury. The judge emphasized that testimony at this stage must focus on guilt and cautioned against extended narratives on improper subjects; the broader dispute over survivor testimony in a possible penalty phase received no final ruling in that exchange.

Kensky identified herself in photographs, explaining that clothing and hair helped her recognize her faint image. She did not recognize the black-capped individual shown behind her in Exhibit 1473 from the day of the bombing. The court admitted Exhibit 20 over the defense's renewed reference to its previous objection and admitted Exhibit 1474A after she identified her undershirt and jacket. Judy Clarke asked no cross-examination questions, and Kensky was excused.