Feds seek to prevent Boston bomber Tsarnaev seeing gory photos of marathon victims during trial

  • Federal prosecutors don't want Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to see any photos of his victims bar the one that will be used during his trial
  • They say Tsarnaev viewing their mutilated bodies would 'violate victims' right to dignity'
  • Prosecutors don't want to restrict Tsarnaev from seeing any photographs

By Associated Press

PUBLISHED: 11:35 EST, 17 March 2014 | UPDATED: 16:19 EST, 17 March 2014


Federal prosecutors asked a judge Monday to bar Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from seeing some of the gruesome autopsy photos of the three people killed in the attack.

In a court filing, prosecutors said Tsarnaev should only be allowed to look at autopsy photos that will be used during his trial and sentencing. They said he should not be allowed to see the many other photos that will not be used against him in court.

'Allowing photos of the mutilated bodies of the victims to be viewed by the man accused of mutilating them would needlessly revictimize the family members in the same way that innocent children who are photographed pornographically are revictimized whenever those photos are seen by others,' prosecutors wrote.

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to limit Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's access to gruesome autopsy photos of the three people killed in the attack
Martin William Richard

Violating victims' rights: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (left) is accused of the Boston bombings, which killed third-grader Martin Richard (right) and injured his mother and sister

Miriam Conrad, one of Tsarnaev's lawyers, declined to comment on the request.

In their motion, prosecutors say they told the defense that if Tsarnaev were allowed to view all the photographs, the government would continue to make them available for lawyers' review but would not provide copies. They said Tsarnaev's lawyers 'refused to accept any limitation on Tsarnaev's ability to view the autopsy photos and repeated their demand for copies of all of them.'

 

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Tsarnaev, 19, has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges, including the use of a weapon of mass destruction. More than half the charges carry a possible death sentence.

Prosecutors allege that he and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, built two pressure cooker bombs and placed them near the finish line of last year's marathon. Twin explosions killed two women and an eight-year-old boy and injured more than 260.

Lingzi Lu was a spectator who died during the Boston bombings
Krystle Campbell was spectator who died during the Boston bombings

Victims: Also killed were Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old Boston University student from China, and Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old from Arlington

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died following a shootout with police several days after the April 15 marathon.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being held in a federal prison as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in November.

In their motion, prosecutors ask to limit Tsarnaev's access to autopsy photos of the three bombing victims and MIT police Officer Sean Collier, who prosecutors allege was killed by the Tsarnaev brothers on April 18 as they fled.

Suffolk University Law School professor Christopher Dearborn said he believes it will be difficult to persuade a judge to restrict Tsarnaev's access to the autopsy photos, especially because he could be sentenced to death.

'The problem here is if there's any possibility that there's something in those photos that could be helpful or potentially helpful to him in a trial or in sentencing, he has to be allowed access to them,' Dearborn said.

'What they are really trying to do is make a strong statement on behalf of the victims' families, and they have a right to do that. I just don't think that right can trump the constitutional rights of the defendant.'

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He is a monster, except that gives monsters a bad name... he is proud of what he has done. He wants to see the families suffer again in court. He wants to gloat... what he needs is to be put in general population at San Quentin. They'd get him to cry.

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I think he violated his dignity when he decided to bomb the very people educating him. I love America, and I hate those trying to disturb our way of life.

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They should show the picture of his dead a $$ brother. Or better yet they should hang a picture on the ceiling of his cell of his dead a$$ brother.

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Where is the proof of him doing this?

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I wish his brother was alive so he could rot in jail for the rest of his life

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I would enjoy 60 seconds alone in a room with this guy. That's all I would need....

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Yes, I imagine the powers that be don't want the photos of his alleged victims examined too closely. Furthermore, not showing the photos is prejudicial, as it implies an assumption in a court of law that the defendant is already guilty.

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He needs to.see.thw damage he has done. Let him see and always remember his horrific acts and let it haunt him for the rest of his life and not be able to sleep. Ever.

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It would probably have the opposite effect and give him satisfaction like a serial killer looking at his trophies.

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I don't understand how allowing him to view the photos would revictimize anyone.

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I think he should be made to see the horrid things he has done- only a monster would not be effected.

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