Podcast – US v. Tsarnaev

Appealcast – First Circuit Decision Extravaganza, Pt. 2

September 23, 2020 Heather3 Comments

Heather and Tom Frizzell further discuss the July 31, 2020 First Circuit Court decision to overturn Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's death sentence. In this episode, we talk about the remainder of the appellate rulings and the significance of the "smaller" issues, including the far-reaching consequences of anti-Muslim bias, new case details revealed by the decision, and the vacation of three of Jahar's convictions in the guilt phase. We also discuss the political reaction to the decision, next steps for the appeal, and what you can do to help.

Appealcast – First Circuit Decision Extravaganza, Pt. 1

September 11, 2020 Heather9 Comments

Heather and Tom Frizzell discuss the July 31, 2020 First Circuit Court decision to overturn Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's death sentence. We talk about the issues the defense won on, as well as the four biggest takeaways from the decision.

Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the Tsarnaev Case, Part 3: The Micro, Continued

November 19, 2019March 13, 2020 HeatherLeave a comment

In this final podcast installment, Heather wraps up her discussion of the "micro": how the mainstream media coverage of Jahar's case fanned the flames of misinformation, which aided prosecutors in their bid to sentence him to death in 2015.

Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the Tsarnaev Case; or, What I Learned in Grad School, Part 2: The Micro

November 12, 2019March 13, 2020 HeatherLeave a comment

Heather dives into her process for writing her thesis, the hospital confession notes, prejudiced FBI protocols, the dubious nature of the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group, how the politics of policing Jahar relates to Guantanamo, and just how far the devastating effects of Orientalism reach.

Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the Tsarnaev Case; or, What I Learned in Grad School, Part 1: The Macro

November 5, 2019March 13, 2020 HeatherLeave a comment

In this three-part podcast miniseries, Heather is joined by Tom "Attorney Dad" Frizzell in a bit of a role reversal. Tom plays host and invites Heather to share what she learned in her Master's program in International Studies at the University of Washington. She discusses how writing her academic thesis on Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's case helped her better understand not just the Boston Marathon bombing, but the War on Terror, American foreign policy, and systemic discrimination against Muslims.

Appealcast #2 – Confession is Good for the Soul

January 5, 2019October 23, 2019 HeatherLeave a comment

Heather is joined by Tom "Attorney Dad" Frizzell and resident historian Eric Bowsfield to discuss their initial impressions on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's opening appellate brief. Then they take a deep dive into Dzhokhar's suppressed hospital confession, the contents of which were kept from the public until October 2018, when they were unsealed by Dzhokhar's appellate team. They look at what's there, what isn't, and the likelihood that the entire narrative of this case was created by overzealous FBI agents illegally interrogating a critically injured teenager.

Appealcast – Updates in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Appeal

September 7, 2018October 23, 2019 Heather7 Comments

Heather and Tom dive into developments in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's appeal. In a July 2018 filing by appellate counsel, his lawyers have forecasted some of the many arguments they intend to make on appeal, which may be filed this November. We discuss venue changes; negative pre-trial publicity at the hands of a recently suspended Boston Globe journalist, Kevin Cullen; death-qualified juries; forced confessions; the discovery that prosecutors used secret ex parte filings to suppress information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's potential involvement in a 2011 triple murder, and more.

Category: Podcast