MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) —The college friend of the Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Azamat Tazhayakov is willing to testify against him in court, the Boston Globe reported on Wednesday, citing the attorney for Tazhayakov.
According to attorney Matthew Myers, his client is willing to testify and tell jurors about the "comments" that Tsarnayev made during their friendship.
Myers said that he has had some "minor discussions" with US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office on the possibility of Tazhayakov taking the stand during the Tsarnaev's trial, but no agreement has been reached yet.
According to the prosecution, Tazhayakov and another friend of the Tsarnaev brothers, Dias Kadyrbayev, took Tsarnaev's laptop computer and a backpack filled with fireworks from his college dorm room and tried to dispose of them after learning that Tsarnaev was a suspect in the bombing. In July Tazhayakov was found guilty in obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19 and faces up to 25 years in prison.
Three people were killed and over 260 wounded after two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15 last year. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechens, were identified as suspects in the blasts. Tamerlan was killed during the shootout and Dzhokhar was arrested as part of a special operation on April 19. Dzhokhar faces 30 charges, half of which are punishable by death.
