DA Plans to Pursue Charges Against Tsarnaev in Death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier
Following the ongoing federal Boston Marathon bombing trial Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will face state criminal charges in connection to the shooting death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said today.
“Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury for the murder of Sean Collier and we intend to move forward with criminal charges against Tsarnaev after the current federal trial is completed,’’ Ryan said in a press release.
Collier died from a gunshot wound to the head on April 18, 2013. Prosecutors believe that the marathon bombing suspect and his now-deceased brother, Tamerlan, ambushed Collier while he sat in his cruiser. They say the crime can be seen in a surveillance video of the incident, which was shown at trial earlier this month. An MIT graduate student who passed the scene that day recently testified in court, identifying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as one of the alleged gunmen.
In the hours following Collier’s murder Tsarnaev engaged police in a shootout in Watertown, authorities say. Prosecutors and witnesses have said Dzhokhar ran his brother over with a stolen SUV during the confrontation, killing him.
“In addition, the investigation remains active into the incident which occurred on Laurel Street in Watertown on Friday, April 19,’’ Ryan said. “The written investigatory report concerning the Laurel Street incident is anticipated to be completed within two months.’’
Tsarnaev faces the death penalty in his current federal trial.
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