Meghan Zipin

Meghan Zipin delivered an unsworn victim impact statement at sentencing on Day 67. She said she had been at the Marathon finish line and described severe, permanent auditory-processing damage requiring lifelong hearing aids. She explained that the injury made it difficult to understand spoken information, particularly amid complex, simultaneous conversations.

Zipin reported PTSD symptoms, panic attacks, nightmares, and guilt over the life-threatening injuries suffered by two friends waiting for her at the finish line. She said her symptoms had forced her to leave her business-development job and described the resulting loss of income, professional identity, and confidence, along with continuing strain on her marriage.

Addressing Judge O'Toole, Zipin challenged the adequacy of a written request to summarize survivors' harm and long-term losses. She compared rebuilding her life to gathering scattered dandelion seeds, while expressing gratitude and hope that the bombing would not always define her relationships or future.