Rage Continues Over Boston Bomber ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover: Police Sergeant Releases Photos in Response

Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Sean Murphy was so angry over the Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring accused Boston Bomber Dzhokhar “Jahar” Tsarnaev that he took matters into his own hands and gave some pretty dramatic pictures of Tsarnaev’s capture to Boston Magazine, which published them online. Only one problem. Murphy wasn’t authorized to release the photos and he was relieved of duties late yesterday (July 18^th) pending an internal review.

The pictures that Murphy released show Tsarnaev coming out of the boat where he was holed up. His face is smeared with blood and a laser from a sniper's gun can be seen on his forehead.

Murphy called the Rolling Stone magazine cover "an insult" that is "hurtful" to bombing victims and their families. He added, "This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.”

Several retailers have taken a stand against Rolling Stone’s Tsarnaev issue and are refusing to sell the magazine including CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Stop & Shop and the grocery chain the Roche Bros and Tedeschi Food Shops, a Massachusetts-based convenience store chain.

Both Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick are angry with Rolling Stone as well accusing the magazine of offering Tsarnaev “celebrity treatment” and calling the cover “ill-conceived, at best." They also said "the survivors of the Boston attacks deserve Rolling Stone cover stories, though I no longer feel that Rolling Stone deserves them.”

In response, Rolling Stone issued this statement on their website: "The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens."

Source(s): Rolling Stone, CNN, Fox News