Tsarnaev Friend Robel Phillipos Wanted to Help ‘Nail’ Tsarnaev, FBI Agent Testified
The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday in the trial against Robel Phillipos, the friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who is being charged with lying to investigators.
Prosecutors say Phillipos, 21, lied to investigators about his whereabouts and what he saw on April 18, 2013, when he and two friends allegedly visited Tsarnaev’s dorm room and removed a backpack of evidence after the marathon bombings. Phillipos’s defense team contends that he was a scared 19-year-old at the time who was “high out of his mind’’ during interviews with investigators and could not remember clearly.
Prosecutors’ last witness, FBI agent Timothy Quinn, testified about his April 25 interview of Phillipos. Quinn testified that Phillipos admitted he was high on marijuana but did not seem affected by it. Quinn added that Phillipos said he did not remember much from April 18, when prosecutors say he was present in Tsarnaev’s room as evidence was removed. Quinn also said he thought Phillipos was lying during their interview.
According to Quinn’s testimony, Phillipos said he wanted to help the FBI “nail the mother[expletive],’’ referring to Tsarnaev. Quinn later confirmed to defense attorneys that Phillipos spoke to investigators willingly, and was not required to do so.
The defense team’s first witness was Lino Rosas, who said he was a friend of the defendant. Rosas testified that he and Phillipos heavily smoked marijuana on April 18. The friend said he and Phillipos were “fishbowling,’’ or smoking marijuana in a closed area.
During Tuesday’s testimony, prosecutors presented a number of texts Phillipos allegedly sent to his friends in the days after the bombing, which included a number of references to marijuana and to his interactions with investigators.
Phillipos is the third friend of Tsarnaev to face related charges. Azamat Tazhayakov was convicted of obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges in July. Another Tsarnaev friend, Dias Kadyrbayev, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges in August. Both are due to be sentenced later this fall.
Phillipos faces a maximum of 16 years in prison if he is convicted of the two charges.
We followed Wednesday’s trial as it happened in the Storify below.
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