Tsarnaev Moves Next Door to Colorado’s Supermax Prison
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, had been held at a nearby maximum security prison since June 25 — which was part of the same complex that includes Supermax, but technically a different facility. Friday, he joined a list of infamous criminals who did time at the prison in the last two decades.
Known officially as the United States Penitentiary Administrative-Maximum Facility in Florence, Colo., the Supermax prison has been home to several notorious inmates since it opened in 1994 — including Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and 9/11 co-conspirator Zacarias Moussoui.
However, it remains unknown exactly where Tsarnaev will serve out his prison time before he is executed. It is possible, officials have said, he stays at the Supermax facility or he could possibly be moved to another maximum security facility in Terre Haute, Ind.
Tsarnaev was convicted in May of orchestrating the 2013 Boston Marathon attack with his older brother, Tamerlan — who was killed three days after the bombings during an armed confrontation with Massachusetts police.
Following his conviction, Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, it will likely be years before the execution is carried out, due to the typically lengthy appeals process.
Further, Tsarnaev, who emigrated to the United States with his family in 2001, still faces a murder trial in the death of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier — who was shot to death during the manhunt for the fugitive siblings.
Last week, Middlesex, Mass., District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said she plans to try Tsarnaev at the state level for the officer’s death — even though he is already on death row for related crimes. Facing criticism for using even more tax dollars to convict Tsarnaev again, Ryan said it’s simply a matter of justice — especially in light of the fact that Tsarnaev can still appeal his federal conviction.
“When you come into Middlesex County and execute a police officer in the performance of his duties and assault other officers attempting to effect his capture, it is appropriate you should come back to Middlesex County to stand trial for that offense,” Ryan said last week.
Tsarnaev, who turns 22 on Wednesday, was captured three days after the April 15, 2013 attack during a chaotic and bloody manhunt for the siblings. According to official documents, Tsarnaev was the one who actually killed his brother during the police confrontation — running him over with a stolen SUV as he made his escape.
Colorado’s Supermax facility is perhaps the most secure maximum security prison in the United States, akin to Alcatraz before it closed in 1962.
