3-year-old Tsarnaev daughter: Amid reports that Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev received welfare, his 3-year-old daughter and wife are under apparent tabloid scrutiny.
The New York Post took photos of the child, Zahara, as she was playing outside with her grandmother at their Rhode Island home.
The New York Daily news also got photos of the same incident, showing the child with grandmother Judith Russell, playing in the woods.
Katherine Russell, the wife of Tsarnaev, who was killed in a police shootout last week, has denied that she knew what her husband allegedly planned, according to her lawyer.
The former roommates and peers of Russell claimed that she was “brainwashed” by her husband and their relationship was often rocky.
On Wednesday, it emerged that Tsarnaev and Russell received welfare for a period of time when he was becoming increasingly interested in jihadist and conspiracy theory websites, according to The Associated Press.
Russell, who heard that her husband was a suspect while watching TV last week, reportedly returned to her parents home in Rhode Island a few days ago. She has not talked with the media and is reportedly cooperating with the FBI.
“She is doing everything she can to assist with the investigation,” Amato DeLuca, her lawyer, told CBS News. “The report of involvement by her husband and brother-in-law came as an absolute shock to them all.”
It was also reported that Russell was working as many as 80 hours per week while Tsarnaev stayed at home.
Tsarnaev is accused of masterminding the bombing that left three dead and dozens wounded.
The Associated Press described Russell as a normal high school student, who was proficient in art and got good grades in school.
Tsarnaeva grew up with two younger sisters on a quiet cul-de-sac in North Kingstown, a rural, wooded town a 90-minute drive south from the apartment she would eventually share in Cambridge, Mass., with her husband and his family.
“The reason why I remember her is she was very nice and very smart,” art teacher Amos Paine said. “She was ready to learn.”
