Friend who gave Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a gun set to be sentenced on gun and heroin charges
A federal judge will also hear arguments for a new trial for the Boston Marathon bomber.
A former classmate and friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who admitted to giving a gun to the Boston Marathon bomber is set to be sentenced Wednesday on federal gun and heroin charges.
Stephen Silva, 22, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, conspiracy to distribute heroin, and six counts of distributing heroin.
Prosecutors said Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan used that gun to kill MIT police officer Sean Collier on April 18, 2013, three days after the bombings. The gun was also used to shoot at police in an extensive firefight in Watertown that evening, prosecutors said. It was recovered by police at the scene.
Silva agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for leniency. During Tsarnaev’s death penalty trial earlier this year, Silva testified as a witness for the prosecution. He and Tsarnaev were friendly from their time together at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
In court, Silva said Tsarnaev asked to borrow a gun in February 2013 to rob some people at the University of Rhode Island. Prosecutors said Silva gave Tsarnaev a P-95 Ruger with an obliterated serial number that he had been holding for another friend, Merhawi “Howie’’ Berhe. Berhe also faces federal charges for possession of the weapon.
Silva testified that he asked for the gun back several times, but Tsarnaev repeatedly made excuses. Silva denied knowing anything about the brothers’ plans to bomb the marathon, according to court filings.
The P-95 Ruger pistol was used to kill MIT officer Sean Collier.
Silva faces a maximum penalty of 40 years for the heroin conspiracy, 20 years for heroin distribution, and five years for the gun charge, a spokeswoman for US Attorney’s office told The Boston Globe.
Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 charges against him and sentenced to death for his role in the bombings and their aftermath, which killed four people and injured more than 260 others.
In separate news, a federal judge will hear arguments for a new trial for Tsarnaev on Tuesday. Tsarnaev’s lawyers said that the trial should have been moved to another venue because of a prejudicial local jury pool.
Tsarnaev is not expected to attend.
Gallery: The Tsarnaev trial in sketches
[bdc-gallery id=”147383″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com