Michael Chase

Michael Chase addressed the court in an unsworn victim-impact statement at sentencing on Day 67. He described watching the Marathon from the Atlantic Fish Company patio near the Forum restaurant when the bombs exploded. He said he sheltered his wife, helped her and a friend reach the restaurant, and then returned to assist injured people on Boylston Street.

Chase recounted helping Matthew Patterson care for Jane Richard, using his belt to control her bleeding and holding the tourniquet as Patterson carried her toward emergency personnel. He also described comforting her brother Henry, returning to sit with Martin, and helping responders move barricades and pass backboards. Chase reported a ruptured eardrum, a concussion, and a setback in his recovery from knee surgery.

His statement connected those experiences to continuing difficulties at work and at home. As a student support coordinator, he experienced flashbacks and panic during situations involving a distressed student, radio sounds, and sirens, sometimes requiring him to step away from his duties. He described guilt about leaving his wife to help others, strain in their relationship, anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness. Chase said professional support had helped him regain control of his life, while emphasizing that recovery remained ongoing. He closed by expressing solidarity with other survivors and saying he did not want to address the defendant.