New Tsarnaev Prosecution Exhibit Shows Backpack Different Color as One Tsarnaev Was Carrying

Cross-posted at MarathonTrial.

High quality image files from just-posted evidence exhibits in the Tsarnaev trial by the US Department of Justice show conclusively that the backpack carried by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a surveillance video, and the one said to contain the bomb which killed eight-year-old Richard Martin, do not remotely match in color.  The US Department of Justice exhibits show that one is black and the other is white.

A full set of the exhibits shown in court was posted on April 6, 2015.  On day 2 of the trial, a 2.7 megabyte image Exhibit 29, labeled “exh_29.pdf,” shows that the full frontal panel of the backpack near Richard Martin is black, which is how the prosecution initially described both backpacks used to carry the bombs.  But in surveillance videos of the brothers on that day, the pack carried by Dzhokhar is white with black trim, including the frontal panel.

A close examination of the backpack is made possible by the extremely high resolution of the images, which can be zoomed in on by any user viewing the image at justice.gov.

US Department of Justice Exhibit 29, Richard Martin at left, Tsarnaev in white hat, alleged backpack used on sidewalk

Blow-up of alleged backpack used in bombing, Exhibit 29, at Justice.gov

Image of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev backpack from official prosecution surveillance compilation (posted at Boston NPR affiliate WBUR)

Additional image of Dzhokhar tsarnaev with backpack, bottom left, compared to images of one of exploded backpacks described by FBI as "black," backpack carried by brother Tamerlan (bottom center,) and backpack carried by security personnel. In the indictment dated June 27, 2013, the prosecution in the Tsarnaev trial said:

"The IEDs that exploded at the Marathon were constructed from pressure cookers, low explosive powder, shrapnel, adhesive, and other materials. They were concealed inside black backpacks."

The major media, which has not taken note of the discrepancy, has reported that the jury has gone into deliberations after the Tsarnaev defense team told the jury "it was him."  No cross-examination of the evidence was made by the defense.