The jury in Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial saw the first text message Tsarnaev sent after the bombings. Tsarnaev texted a friend, saying: “U saw the news?… Better not text me my friend.” The Tsarnaev text was recovered from a laptop, according to testimony from FBI computer expert Kevin Swindon. Other jihadist-related materials were found on the computer also, including a copy of Inspire magazine, allegedly published by Al Qaeda. Asked whether the communications and visited-sites data recovered from Tsarnaev’s computer were otherwise typical of a teen male, Swindon replied, “I’m not an adolescent psychologist.”
Tsarnaev admits to taking part in the bombings. His defense is trying to convince the jury that he himself is not a jihadist, but that he was merely acting on his older, influential brother’s wishes. Tsarnaev’s brother, Tamerlan, was shot and killed by police on the night of the bombings. The best the defense hopes for is that Tsarnaev won’t be executed.
