The Boston police officer who tried to combat Rolling Stone’s controversial cover with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by releasing bloody images of the night the suspected Boston Marathon bomber was captured has been given desk duty while the department continues an investigation.
To contradict the ‘rock star’ image many felt Rolling Stone was giving Tsarnaev by putting him on the cover, Massachusetts State Police officer Sgt. Sean Murphy leaked bloody images to Boston Magazine. The 14 images not only showed a bloody Tsarnaev emerging from the boat he was hiding in, but also showed how police searched the city of Boston and neighboring suburbs on April 19. Another image showed officers on top of the 19-year-old, arresting him.
While there were reports that Murphy was going to be suspended, the Associated Press confirmed Tuesday that Murphy will be put on restricted duty. He’ll be behind a desk, kept out of the public eye while an ongoing investigation is completed. Murphy did have a one-day suspension without pay.
According to WBZ-TV, the decision was made in a closed hearing before a three-person panel. “I support him 100-percent,” his son, Connor Murphy, told the press after the hearing. “I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Murphy was not authorized to release the photos to Boston Magazine, which claims that it has more photos that it will publish in its next issue.
image: Sgt. Sean Murphy/Boston Magazine