FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — A state police photographer who released photos of the bloodied Boston Marathon bombing suspect during his capture was placed on restricted duty Tuesday.
Sgt. Sean Murphy said he leaked the photos of what he called “the face of terror” to Boston magazine last week to counter a glamorized image of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Additional Photos
Three of Murphy’s 14 photos show a battered and blood-streaked Tsarnaev emerging from a boat in a backyard, the red dot of a sniper’s laser sight trained on his head.
Murphy wasn’t authorized to release the photos. He already served a one-day, unpaid suspension and has received another five-day unpaid suspension. Following a status hearing at State Police headquarters Tuesday, Murphy was placed on desk duty, where he won’t have contact with the public, until an internal investigation is complete.
Col. Timothy Alben, the commander of the state police, said more discipline is conceivable, but he ruled out the possibility that Murphy would be fired.
“I don’t see Sgt. Murphy being terminated for this particular set of circumstances,” he said.
After the hearing, Murphy declined to comment, except to say, “Life is good.”
Murphy’s 19-year-old son, Connor Murphy, said he couldn’t be more proud of his father, praising him as a man of integrity and noting his father never tried to hide what he had done.
“If I could be one quarter of a man that he is now, I’ll be more than happy with my life,” he said.
Alben indicated strong support for Murphy within his agency, noting Murphy had a previously unblemished disciplinary record.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office called the release of the photos “completely unacceptable,” and some attorneys said the images and Murphy’s comments could be used to argue government bias against Tsarnaev.
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