South Florida Criminal Attorneys Blog
An Orlando, Florida man who has been linked to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the alleged mastermind of the recent Boston Marathon bombing was shot to death as he was preparing to sign a confession dealing with an unrelated crime that occurred in Waltham, Massachusetts 2 years ago.
Ibragim Todashev, a 27 year old Chechen immigrant made a succession of incriminating declarations to the FBI in regard to a triple homicide that took place in Waltham in 2011. The incident took place as he was being interrogated for his possible involvement in the Boston bombings that injured in excess of two hundred, sixty people and killed three. More than a few of Todashev’s friends relayed to the Orlando Sentinel that the FBI had been following Ibragim since two days after the Boston attack which occurred on April 15, and had been questioning him in regard to the bombings, but his former roommate Khusen Taramov said that the FBI was questioning Todashev about a conversation he had with Tamerlan Tsarnaev at least a month before the bombings transpired.
During questioning by two Massachusetts state troopers with the FBI present, Todashev was said to incriminate himself in a triple homicide where three men were discovered dead inside an apartment with their throats slashed. Marijuana was found spattered all over the dead bodies.
Brendan Mess, 25, one of the victims of the horrific crime, was previously described by Tamerlan Tsarnaev as his “best friend” according to the owner of the gym where he and Mess, who were both training as boxers, worked out, as reported in The Boston Globe. The other two victims of the murders were Erik Weissman, 31, and Raphael Teken, 37.
Officials said that not only did he implicate himself in the killings but he went on to say that Tsarnaev was also involved in the triple murder. Two other spokespersons who were also informed of the investigation told the Associated Press that authorities believe Todashev had more than a minor connection with the older Tsarnaev brother.
Todashev’s shooting and subsequent death occurred when he was in the process of signing the confession admitting to his part in the triple homicide. The Washington Times reported that he became agitated and lunged at the FBI representative who was present at the scene before he was shot by the agent.
According to The Associated Press as relayed by law enforcement officials, it was not clear if Todashev was equipped with a knife when he leapt at the FBI agent. However, it was known that he was a mixed martial arts expert that potentially sets his abilities for causing bodily damage at a level much higher than that of the average individual.
In a statement obtained by FoxNews.com FBI Agent Dave Couvertier said “The agent, along with other law enforcement personnel, were interviewing an individual in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing investigation when a violent confrontation was initiated by the subject… During the confrontation, the individual was killed and the agent sustained non-life-threatening injuries. As this incident is under review, we have no further details at this time.”
As might be expected, one of his friends had only positive things to say when asked about him. One of them, Saeed Dunkaev was quoted as saying “He’s a regular guy, nothing wrong,” However, another friend, and former roommate, Muslin Chapkhanov, admitted that Todashev knew the older Tsarnaev brother. He “was living in Boston and I think he trained with him,” Chapkhanov said.
Todashev did in fact live in Watertown, Mass., last year according to public records. For the past year he’d been living with other Chechen immigrants in the immediate area, specifically the town of Kissimmee, until he moved to the greater Orlando area during the past year.
Todashev was known by police in both Florida and Massachusetts to have a fierce temper. He was arrested in Boston in 2010 in an incident classified as road rage. Recently, he was involved in in a fight with a father and son over a parking space. For that episode he was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery. However, he was released on $3,500 bail.
The FBI has now sent a review team from Washington to investigate the shooting and death of Todashev. They will question witnesses who were at the condo where the shooting took place, including the two Massachusetts State Police officers that were interviewing him along with other law enforcement officials. To date, the FBI agent who fired the deadly shot has not been identified to the public but is known to be from the FBI’s Boston division.
You can read the FBI’s latest press release by clicking here
The FBI is an organization of the United States government that investigates federal crimes of all nature within the Continental United States.
If you or someone you know or love is being investigated by the FBI it is imperative that you find an experienced attorney with experience in Federal cases. An attorney who previously worked as a Federal prosecutor and knows the ins and outs of the Federal system can be a great asset in planning a proper defense no matter what Federal charges are being encountered.
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