Tsarnaev's lawyers want docs from interrogation of family, friends

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are asking the government to hand over information related to FBI interviews of his family and friends.

In a filing Monday, Tsarnaev's attorneys said the government has failed to provide information related to certain defense requests and made "deficient" responses to others.

The 20-year-old's attorneys specifically reference their request for reports from the FBI interrogations of Tsarnaev's sister-in-law, Katherine Russell Tsarnaeva, as well as his brother's close friend who was killed during questioning, Ibragim Todashev. The lawyers also asked for reports from the interrogations of Todashev's associates, Tsarnaev's family members in Russia, and his three friends facing charges for allegedly throwing out evidence.

Tsarnaev's attorneys claim the government responded to their requests on Sept. 30 with a "brief summary," but did not turn over reports or grand jury transcripts.

The defense also expressed their disappointment in the government's response to requests for "all documents" related to the investigation of a 2011 triple homicide in Waltham. Investigators were looking into whether or not Dzhokhar's brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and Ibragim Todashev had any involvement in the slayings. The elder Tsarnaev was close friends with one of the men killed. They claim evidence about the nature and extent of Tamerlan's alleged involvement in the deaths, as well as "the absence of information about any involvement" by Dzhokhar, provides "critical mitigating information."

Tsarnaev is accused of setting off two bombs with his brother near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April. Tamerlan died following a shoot out with police days after the attack.

Cox Media Group