Dzhokhar Tsarnaev “adjusted much more successfully to life in Massachusetts” than his brother Tamerlan, said Reuters.com. Friends describe him as a typical American teenager, the captain of his high school wrestling team, and a “mild-mannered pot-smoker” who had an easy sense of humor and a wide circle of friends. “He had a heart of gold,” Dzhokhar’s high school history teacher, Larry Aaronson, told The Boston Globe. “He was as gracious as possible.”
Among Dzhokhar’s friends at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the 19-year-old engineering student—called “Johar” by friends—rarely mentioned his Islamic faith, said the Los Angeles Times, preferring instead to talk about soccer, cars, and girls. He decorated his dorm room with posters of women in bikinis, and with his mop of dark hair, he was considered “something of a ladies’ man” on campus. But over the past year, as Dzhokhar spent more time with his older brother—whom he idolized—there were signs he was changing. A strong student in high school, Dzhokhar began failing many of his college classes, and as he investigated his Chechen roots, his social media postings took on a new tone.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
India elections start amid violence, hate speech accusationsTalking Points Narendra Modi seeks a third term while critics worry about the future of the country's democracy
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cowsSpeed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
-
The final fate of Flight 370feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.