The photos released to Boston Magazine yesterday by Massachusetts State Police tactical photographer Sgt Sean Murphy show a bloody, disheveled Tsarnaev with the red dot of a sniper's rifle laser sight on his forehead.
Murphy said in a statement to the magazine that Tsarnaev is evil and his photos show the "real Boston bomber, not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine." The music magazine hits the shelves this week, and some retailers have said they won't sell it.
The April 15 bombing near the finish line of the most famous marathon in the country killed three people and injured more than 260. A police officer was allegedly killed April 18 by Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, who died following a shootout with police later that evening.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen who came to the US as a child, pleaded not guilty last week while appearing nonchalant, though his face was swollen and his arm was in a cast.
More From This Section
Boston Magazine printed more than a dozen photos from the day Tsarnaev was captured.
Three of the images show Tsarnaev as he emerged from the boat, head bowed, with red smudges and streaks on his clothing and the boat.
Two images show the red dot of the laser sight in the middle of his forehead and just above his left eye. The other show the dot on the top of his head as he buries his face in his arms.
Murphy, who did not return a message from the AP, said in his statement to Boston Magazine that Rolling Stone's cover photo, a softly-lit image of a brooding Tsarnaev, insults officers killed in the line of duty, their colleagues and their families by glamorizing the "face of terror."
Rolling Stone has said the cover story on Tsarnaev was part of its "long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day."
In his statement, Murphy said the capture of Tsarnaev played out like a television show, but he hopes his photos show it was "as real as it gets."
"These were real people, with real lives, with real families," Murphy said. "And to have this cover dropped into Boston was hurtful to their memories and their families." He added, "There is nothing glamorous in bringing more pain to a grieving family.