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Keller @ Large: Don't Forget What's At Core Of High-Profile Court Cases

BOSTON (CBS) -- During my time off, I tried not to think too much about the top news stories of the day.

Relaxation didn't seem too compatible with the gruesome reality of three alleged killing machines – Bulger, Hernandez and Tsarnaev.

But vacation is over, and with the saga of these three set to dominate the news for months to come, it's worth remembering what, at their core, these cases are all about.

Listen to Jon's commentary

Keller @ Large: Don't Forget What's At Core Of High-Profile Cases

That won't always be so easy to do.

Each case has plenty of sideshows. In the Bulger trial, talented defense attorneys are hard at work trying to make it about anything but the Bunker Hill-sized mountain of incriminating evidence against their client. With Hernandez, people seem fascinated with the gang aspects of the case; politics will likely be part of the Tsarnaev defense.

There isn't much these three have in common, save for an alleged eagerness to kill, often, or in large numbers at once, or both. And as these cases make their way through the system, you can only hope the focus stays on their slaughter.

Most people, if not all, have zero tolerance for what these three are accused of doing – justifying killing with unjustifiable motives. In fact, while you do wonder about how sick minds work, it really doesn't matter what motivated Bulger, Hernandez or Tsaernaev.

What matters is that justice be done for the victims and their survivors.

Defense lawyers with hard-to-exonerate clients often sink their time into arguing for lesser sentences, and perhaps that's what we'll see in these cases.

But that thin reed should compete with an urgent public interest – to make sure that there's no lenient ending for violent narcissists who choose this path.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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