Martin William Richard, at 8 the youngest Boston Marathon murder victim, has been laid to rest at private services, family says

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A private funeral Mass was held today for Martin William Richard, the youngest of three people murdered in the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings.

In a brief statement issued after the services had been completed, parents Bill and Denise Richard expressed their thanks to those who reached out to them since the death of their 8-year-old son and the maiming of their daughter. Denise Richard was also injured in the blast.

Martin William Richard (Richard family photo)

“The outpouring of love and support over the last week has been tremendous,’’ Bill and Denise Richard said in the statement. “This has been the most difficult week of our lives and we appreciate that our friends and family have given us space to grieve and heal.’’

The family said the services were private and celebrated “with immediate family. We laid our son Martin to rest, and he is now at peace. We plan to have a public memorial service in the coming weeks to allow friends and loved ones from our community to join us for a celebration of Martin’s life.”

In photos that became public after the April 15 terrorist attack, the Richard family can be seen standing on barricades on Boylston Street close to where one of the bombs was dropped off, allegedly by two brothers from Cambridge.

A photo of Martin Richard proudly holding his work from class on which he had written the words, “no more hurting people. Peace’’ was widely distributed. A second photo of the child wearing a Boston Bruin jersey, also helped draw offers of emotional and financial support to the Dorchester residents.

A fund set up by friends of the Richard family has so far collected more than $200,000. People wishing to mail donations or sympathy cards can be sent to the “Richard Family Fund” c/o the St. Mark’s Area Main Street, 1914 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02124.

On Monday, Mayor Menino was in Peabody Square in the city’s Ashmont neighborhood where the Richard family lives, and where the family has been an active participant in community issues.

Alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was reported in fair condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, officials said.