Two friends of Boston bomber plead not guilty to cover-up chargesBy Scott Malone
BOSTON | Fri Sep 13, 2013 12:45pm EDT
(Reuters) - Two college friends of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that they helped cover his tracks when the FBI was trying to find the people responsible for the April 15 attack.
The appearance in federal court in Boston of a third man charged in the same case was postponed until later on Friday. All three are charged with going to Tsarnaev's dorm room three days after the bombing, where they removed a laptop and a backpack containing empty fireworks shells after receiving a text message from him telling them to "go to my room and take what's there," according to court papers.
Dias Kadyrbayev, of Kazakhstan, pleaded not guilty to the charge of obstruction of justice and could face 25 years in prison or deportation. His lawyer, Robert Stahl, said after the hearing that Kadyrbayev did not understand what Tsarnaev had done.
"There was no criminal intent from him to help Dzhokhar, no obstruction of justice in any way," Stahl told reporters.
Robel Phillipos, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to investigators and could face up to 16 years in prison. Lawyers and supporters of Phillipos ushered him out of the courthouse and into a waiting black sports utility vehicle.
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