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'Boston bomber' friend convicted

Written By blogger on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 | 8:26 AM

A friend of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect has been found guilty of lying to investigators.

Robel Phillipos, 21, told a string of falsehoods about the night two other friends threw out Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bag and computer.

The defence argued Phillipos had been intimidated by investigators and had been so high on marijuana he could not remember what happened.

Three died and more than 200 were injured in the 15 April 2013 attack.

Two other friends of Mr Tsarnaev, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, have been convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Investigators say they threw out Mr Tsarnaev's belongings at his request shortly after the attack, in an effort to hide evidence.

None of the three have been implicated in plotting the attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis talks to members of the media outside Federal Court after testifying in the Robel Phillipos trial 16 October 2014 in Boston Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis testified at Phillipos' trial

At Phillipos' trial, FBI agents testified he eventually acknowledged he was in Mr Tsarnaev's dorm room at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth with Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov when they removed Tsarnaev's backpack and computer from the room on 18 April 2013.

The defence called several friends who said Phillipos smoked marijuana a half-dozen times that day, as well as former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, a friend of his mother.

Mr Dukakis said he had spoken to Phillipos on the phone five days after the bombings and Phillipos said he had been questioned by the FBI for five hours but was confused and did not remember what he said.

Prosecutors said Phillipos told investigators many details about the night of 18 April and had lied because he knew he had done something wrong.

Phillipos is set to be sentenced in January, and will remain under house arrest until then. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years per count of lying during a terrorism investigation.

Mr Tsarnaev is awaiting trial and has pleaded not guilty to the 30 federal charges against him.

His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shootout with police days after the bombing.


'Boston bomber' friend convicted

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