Lingzi Lu | Homicide Watch Boston

FBI killing friend of suspected bombing suspect justified, report says

Melanie Dostis — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 20:48:55 -0400

The mysterious killing of Ibragim Todashev, the friend of the alleged bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, by a Boston FBI agent in May has been justified, according to a report released Tuesday by a Florida prosecutor.

The report calls Tsarnaev, 27, a "fearless fighter." While being interviewed in his Orlando apartment, Tsarnaev attacked the agent and a Massachusetts state trooper with a long metal pole.

The mixed-martial arts fighter had allegedly just admitted to his involvement in a triple 2011 Waltham murder.

A letter from State Attorney Jeffrey L. Ashton to FBI Director James Comey detailed more of the shooting which was ruled as self-defense.

According to the letter, after being interviewed for 4.5 hours, Todashev's mood changed. He lifted a coffee table from the room, striking the agent in the head. He then ran to the kitchen, looking for something in the drawers.

Todashev hurled at the trooper with the pole, looking to impale him, the letter said. The FBI agent fired three to four shouts, bringing Todashev to his knees but not stopping him. He immediately rose and lunged at the men and the agent fired three to four more fatal shots, according to the letter.

The Department of Justice's civil rights division also cleared the agent shortly afterward.

Trial set for early November in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev case

Melanie Dostis — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 19:24:56 -0400

A trial date for Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been set for Nov. 3 despite requests from defense attorneys for a later date.

US District Court Judge George A. O’Toole slated the date, saying the government's request for a fall trial was more reasonable than the defense's requests, the Boston Globe reports.

A joint status report was filed Monday in US District Court in Boston by Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys. In the report, defense attorneys asked for a trial date in September 2015, at the earliest.

Prosecutors believe the trial will span about 12 weeks with a sentencing hearing lasting an additional six weeks, according to the report. The report does not show when federal prosecutors would like to go to trial.

Scores of evidence, including nearly 2,000 items that are reportedly still being analyzed by the FBI and items kept at other locations, have yet to bet reviewed by the defense, the report noted.

A hearing in the case was also scheduled for June 18 where both sides are expected to discuss if the defense wants a change of venue, the Globe reports.

Tsarnaev, 20, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, are accused in the April 15 bombings. More than 260 people were injured and Lingzi Lu, 23, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Martin Richard, 8, were killed.

The eldest brother died in a shootout with police in Watertown, fours days after the bombings. Tsarnaev is also accused of killing MIT police officer, Sean Collier, as both brothers tried to escape the area.

Tsarnaev has been held at a federal prison at the former Fort Devens and faces charges that could bring him the death penalty.

Prosecutors seek death penalty in Boston Marathon bombing case

Todd Feathers — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:47:45 -0500

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the case of accused Boston Marrathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, according to a notice filed in US District Court on Jan. 30.

Tsarnaev, 20, faces a 30-count federal indictment. The charges against him include the use of a weapon of mass destruction in the April 15 bombing that killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, 23-year-old Lingzi Lu and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell.

In its notice, the US Attorney's office cited the severity of the crime, premeditation in its execution and Tsarnaev's lack of remorse as reasons he should be put to death if convicted.

"Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received asylum from the United States; obtained citizenship and enjoyed the freedoms of a United States citizen; and then betrayed his allegiance to the United States by killing and maiming people in the United States," the notice said.

If Tsarnaev is indeed put to death, he would become the first person since 1947 to receive capital punishment in Massachusetts.

The announcement elicited mixed reactions from Massachusetts politicians and victims of the attack.

In a gubernatorial debate hosted by the Boston Globe, all five Democratic candidates said they did not support the prosecution's decision.

"I do not believe in the death penalty," Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

When pressed to address capital punishment in the specific case of Tsarnaev, she shook her head and reaffirmed her answer. The other candidates voiced similar explanations for their disapproval.

The most prominent Republican gubernatorial candidate, Charlie Baker, told reporters in response to the debate that he supported the government's decision.

Jared Clowery, a 36-year-old Millville man whose legs were badly burnt in the bombing, told the Globe the decision does not concern him.

“I’m moving on with my life. . . . It has no bearing on my life whatsoever,” he said.

Tsarnaev was arrested April 19 after a four-day manhunt that culminated in a shootout in Watertown that killed his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who is also implicated in the bombing, according to the Boston Globe.

Tsarnaev pleaded innocent to all charges on July 10, when he was arraigned before survivors of the bombing and their families.