Boston Bomber's Second Friend Sentenced To 42 Months In Prison

By Eyder Peralta / NPR

Published June 5, 2015 at 7:39 AM PDT

This story was published more than 8 years ago.

Azamat Tazhayakov, left, Dias Kadyrbayev, center, and Robel Phillipos, right, college friends of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, sit during a hearing in federal court in Boston in May 2014.

A friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been sentenced to 42 months in prison after he was convicted of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon.

Authorities said that Azamat Tazhayakov, along with another Tsarnaev college friend, Dias Kadyrbayev, conspired to dump Tsarnaev's backpack, which contained fireworks that had been emptied of their explosive powder.

WBUR's Asma Khalid reports:

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"Tazhayakov told the judge he 'apologizes' to the people of Boston for what he did. He also said he is sickened by what Tsarnaev did on April 15^th"Tazhayakov has already served about two years of his sentence. He's expected to deported when he's released from prison."

Kadyrbayev was sentenced to six years in prison for the backpack incident and for failing to call police when he recognized Tsarnaev as the marathon-bombing suspect.

A third Tsarnaev friend Robel Phillipos is scheduled to be sentenced later today.

As the AP reports, Phillipos was convicted of lying to the FBI days after the bombing.

The AP adds:

"Robel Phillipos was convicted of lying to the FBI days after the bombings. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, a friend of Phillipos' family, wrote a letter of support for him and even testified during his trial. "In the letter to the judge, Dukakis wrote that he "can't understand why justice would be served by incarcerating him." "Prosecutors said Friday that they are seeking a sentence of a little over five years for Phillipos."