When Rolling Stone magazine put Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its front cover using a self-portrait that made him look like a rock star, it set off a major controversy. And, in Boston, it reportedly set off a wave of indignation — which led a state trooper to release photos without his superior’s permission of the apprehension, showing a decidedly less glamorous Tsarnaeve. The Boston Globe:
The pictures, taken by Sergeant Sean Murphy, a State Police tactical photographer who was working during the massive manhunt on April 19 in Watertown, first appeared Thursday afternoon on the website of Boston Magazine. Bostonglobe.com, Boston.com and other news outlets posted them afterward.
Murphy told the magazine that the photos, which show Tsarnaev bloodied and with a police sniper’s laser-projected bead on his head, display “the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.”
The Rolling Stone cover, which critics say glamorized Tsarnaev, “was an insult to any person who has ever worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch and the family members who have ever lost a loved one serving in the line of duty,” Murphy said.
A State Police spokesman said Thursday night that Murphy had been relieved of duty for one day and will be subject to an internal investigation. “His duty status will be determined at a hearing in the near future,” said spokesman David Procopio.
Procopio confirmed that Murphy took the photos in his official capacity, but he distributed them without permission.
“Today’s dissemination to Boston Magazine of photographs of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and police activity related to his capture was not authorized by the Massachusetts State Police,” Procopio said in a statement. “The department will not release the photographs to media outlets.”
A spokeswoman for US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, whose staff is prosecuting Tsarnaev, said State Police have indicated they will be “taking action” in response to the leak.
“The release of these photos was completely unacceptable,” spokeswoman Christina DiIorio-Sterling said in a statement.
No matter what the outcome for Murphy’s career or the legal consquences, there are likely many in Boston and beyond who will indeed welcome the release of these photos. The danger from the Rolling Stoe cover is that some young (nutty or political disaffected) person will think, “Hey, this is cool! On the cover of Rolling Stone, being famous and they’ll use a photo that shows my best side!”
The new pix don’t make it quite as inviting. But the issue of the unauthorized release of photos that were being held back from the public is one where he will most assuredly face consquences, since law agencies have to send a message that this isn’t business as usual — and make sure there is a deterrent.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.