Boston Marathon Bombing Trial Jury Sees Photos Of Tsarnaev Boat Note
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Jurors in the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Tuesday saw photographs of a blood-stained note speckled with bullet holes inside the boat he was captured in days after the deadly 2013 attack.
Prosecutors consider the handwritten note a confession and say it refers to the motive for the attack carried out by Tsarnaev and his late brother, Tamerlan.
In the note, written in pencil on the inside walls of the boat, Tsarnaev appears to decry U.S. actions in Muslim countries and says he is jealous of his brother because he is dead and now in paradise.
Related: Tsarnaev Lawyers Want Jury To See Boat Where Marathon Bombing Suspect Surrendered
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died following a violent confrontation with police during a getaway attempt four days after the bombings. Dzhokzar, then 19, was found hiding in a boat parked in a yard in Watertown.
"I do not mourn because his soul is very much alive. God has a plan for each person. Mine was to hide in this boat and shed some light on our actions," he wrote, according to the photos shown to the jury by prosecutors.
The note also said: "The U.S. Government is killing our innocent civilians but most of you already know that. As a M (bullet hole) I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished, we Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all. ..."
"Now I don't like killing innocent people it is forbidden in Islam but due to said (bullet hole) it is allowed."
During cross-examination of Brown, Tsarnaev's lawyers established that all the bullet holes were from shots coming into the boat when police fired. The officer said no bombs, guns or weapons of any kind were found inside the boat.
Lawyers for Tsarnaev want jurors to see the entire boat, raising the possibility that it could be brought to the federal courthouse in Boston. But the prosecution says giving jurors an up-close view would be unsanitary and impractical.
On Tuesday afternoon, the judge and a representative from both legal teams were expected to inspect the boat.
Several FBI agents also testified Tuesday about the collection of bomb components and other evidence from the scene of the two bombings. One agent said shrapnel from the two pressure-cooker bombs was found on the ground, inside buildings and the rooftops of buildings, including a four-story hotel.
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