Rolling Stone magazine’s decision to put Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, on the cover of its latest issue has sparked criticism from Massachusetts elected officials. Drugstore chain CVS also said it would not sell the magazine.
(Courtesy of Rolling Stone)
Governor Deval Patrick said the cover, which is accompanied by a profile of Tsarnaev, is “out of taste.â€
Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino, said the mayor “does feel strongly that the cover was ill-conceived.†She said he was drafting a letter to the publisher that articulates his position.
A CVS spokesman said the company decided not to sell the magazine out of respect for the attack’s victims. The April 15 attack killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.
“As a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we believe this is the right decision out of respect for the victims of the attack and their loved ones,†CVS said in a statement.
The cover story, “Jahar’s World,†reveals that Tsaranev played down his Muslim faith at high school in Cambridge, once told a friend that terrorist attacks could be justified, and may have been willing to surrender during a standoff in Watertown on April 19 because of a plea from a former wrestling coach.
Tsarnaev, who went to Cambridge Rindge and Latin before going on to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is accused of working with his brother, Tamerlan, to detonate two bombs near the Marathon finish line.
Dzokhar Tsarnaev faces numerous federal charges that could bring him the death penalty. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after being shot by police and being run over by his own brother in a confrontation in Watertown in the early morning hours of April 19.
Boston.com senior news producer David Stewart and Martine Powers of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
