Sean Collier’s stepfather submits victim impact statement in case of Tsarnaev’s friend
The stepfather of Sean Collier submitted a victim impact statement Wednesday in the obstruction of justice case against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s college friend.
Joseph W. Rogers wrote the murder of his stepson, an MIT police officer, by the Tsarnaev brothers “could absolutely have been prevented’’ after the Boston Marathon bombings if the defendant, Dias Kadyrbayev, did the “right thing.’’
He wrote:
In that moment, there was no one to protect him because no one spoke up and no one cared enough about his life to do the right thing, to make the call that he would have made, to change the fate of our family, the Donohue family, and the families of the other officers the Tsarnaev brothers sought to murder that night. The defendant had the tools and the ability to change the course of history, to stand up for his community, to show up as honorable, and in turn this would have preserved our family as that strong and connected unit. He chose to say nothing, and because of that, he has taken everything away from us. He has taken our son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin. He has stolen our unadulterated happiness, our togetherness, our loving support and our faith, and now we are left to hold onto each other, picking up the pieces of a life that should never have been shattered in the first place. Sean was a rock in our family and to now we have to learn to live without him, and that is a haunting struggle that will last a lifetime.
Dias Kadyrbayev (left) along with co-defendants Robel Phillipos (middle) and Azamat Tazhayakov (right), who are accused of lying to bombing investigators.
Kadyrbayev attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth with Tsarnaev and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges last August. He is set to be sentenced next week to a maximum of seven years in prison.
Rogers wrote he supports the maximum sentence.
Prosecutors have said there’s no evidence Kadyrbayev knew of the Tsarnaevs’ bombing plot beforehand, but following the release of FBI suspect photos after the bombings — and before Collier’s murder — he removed evidence from Tsarnaev’s dorm room and never alerted authorities.
In the statement, Rogers called life without his stepson “quiet and empty.’’
We have had over two years to miss the deep bellied laugh and jovial sense of humor and the unconditional love for his parents, grandparents, five siblings and extended family. It never mattered whether it was showing up for holiday dinners and birthdays and occasionally “sporting the bow tie,’’ worrying about the well-being of his relatives, making it his personal business to call and offer to bring chicken soup to his mother when she was sick, or bringing movies over to watch if a sibling or friend was having a bad day, he showed up with loving intention and integrity.
…
He had unwavering patience and kindness for his nieces, nephew and young cousins. This could mean giving them advice on wearing glasses and still looking cool, to pretending to be a monster and running around the house, filling it with fits of joy and laughter.
…
We still listen for the sound of heavy steps in work boots before we sit down for family dinners and hear nothing. We feel dread over birthdays, holidays and weddings rather than pure happiness knowing there is an empty seat and no bow tie. The unimaginable sadness only multiplies when we realize there are no more birthdays, family holidays and no wedding for him.
Collier was set to become a Somerville police officer in June 2013, two months after his death. He was posthumously appointed in August 2013 and had his badge number retired.
Tsarnaev was sentenced to death on May 15. His case will automatically be appealed in federal court.
Two of his other friends — Robel Phillipos and Azamat Tazhayakov — have pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges and will be sentenced June 5.
The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial in courtroom sketches
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