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| Investigators Obtain DNA From Widow of Bombing Suspect | Investigators Obtain DNA From Widow of Bombing Suspect |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Federal authorities are closely scrutinizing the activities of the wife of the dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect in the days before and after the attacks. | Federal authorities are closely scrutinizing the activities of the wife of the dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect in the days before and after the attacks. |
| The authorities are looking at a range of possibilities, two senior law enforcement officials said, including that she could have — wittingly or unwittingly — destroyed evidence, helped the bombers evade capture or even played a role in planning the attacks. As part of the investigation, F.B.I. agents are trying to determine whether female DNA found on a piece of a pressure cooker used as an explosive device in the attacks was from Katherine Russell, the wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the officials said. | The authorities are looking at a range of possibilities, two senior law enforcement officials said, including that she could have — wittingly or unwittingly — destroyed evidence, helped the bombers evade capture or even played a role in planning the attacks. As part of the investigation, F.B.I. agents are trying to determine whether female DNA found on a piece of a pressure cooker used as an explosive device in the attacks was from Katherine Russell, the wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the officials said. |
| One of the officials said that a fingerprint had also been found on a bomb fragment and that investigators had tried to collect DNA and fingerprint samples from several people whom the authorities are scrutinizing in addition to Ms. Russell. | One of the officials said that a fingerprint had also been found on a bomb fragment and that investigators had tried to collect DNA and fingerprint samples from several people whom the authorities are scrutinizing in addition to Ms. Russell. |
| Federal authorities took a sample of Ms. Russell’s DNA on Monday in Rhode Island, where she has been staying with her parents, the officials said. | Federal authorities took a sample of Ms. Russell’s DNA on Monday in Rhode Island, where she has been staying with her parents, the officials said. |
| Her lawyer, Amato A. DeLuca, has said that Ms. Russell was shocked when she learned that her husband and brother-in-law were suspected of involvement in the attack. “We want to state what we stated before: Katie continues to assist in the investigation in any way that she can,” he said Monday in an e-mail. | Her lawyer, Amato A. DeLuca, has said that Ms. Russell was shocked when she learned that her husband and brother-in-law were suspected of involvement in the attack. “We want to state what we stated before: Katie continues to assist in the investigation in any way that she can,” he said Monday in an e-mail. |
| The focus on Ms. Russell is part of the wider effort by the F.B.I. to determine who else may have played a role aiding the bombers. While the authorities do not believe the bombers were tied to a larger terrorist network or had accomplices, they remain skeptical that others did not know of their plans or did not help them destroy evidence. A law enforcement official said that authorities were investigating individuals who may have helped the suspects in some way after the bombings. The official would not elaborate. | The focus on Ms. Russell is part of the wider effort by the F.B.I. to determine who else may have played a role aiding the bombers. While the authorities do not believe the bombers were tied to a larger terrorist network or had accomplices, they remain skeptical that others did not know of their plans or did not help them destroy evidence. A law enforcement official said that authorities were investigating individuals who may have helped the suspects in some way after the bombings. The official would not elaborate. |
| Ms. Russell, 24, grew up in North Kingstown, R.I., and is the daughter of a physician. She met Mr. Tsarnaev at Suffolk University, her lawyer said. She converted to Islam and married him in 2010. | |
| Mr. DeLuca has said that Ms. Russell does not speak Russian, so she could not always understand what her husband was saying. | Mr. DeLuca has said that Ms. Russell does not speak Russian, so she could not always understand what her husband was saying. |
| On Monday, another lawyer was added to the defense team of the surviving bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. Judy Clarke, one of the nation’s foremost experts in death penalty cases, took the case at the behest of Mr. Tsarnaev’s three federal public defenders. | On Monday, another lawyer was added to the defense team of the surviving bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. Judy Clarke, one of the nation’s foremost experts in death penalty cases, took the case at the behest of Mr. Tsarnaev’s three federal public defenders. |
| Ms. Clarke’s past clients include Susan Smith, who was convicted of drowning her two children, Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and Jared Loughner, who killed six people at an event held by Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. All avoided the death penalty and received life sentences instead. | Ms. Clarke’s past clients include Susan Smith, who was convicted of drowning her two children, Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and Jared Loughner, who killed six people at an event held by Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. All avoided the death penalty and received life sentences instead. |
| “In light of the circumstances in this case, the defendant requires an attorney with more background, knowledge and experience in federal death penalty cases than that possessed by current counsel,” federal Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler wrote in her order appointing Ms. Clarke, who is based in San Diego. | “In light of the circumstances in this case, the defendant requires an attorney with more background, knowledge and experience in federal death penalty cases than that possessed by current counsel,” federal Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler wrote in her order appointing Ms. Clarke, who is based in San Diego. |
Katharine Q. Seelye, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and John Eligon contributed reporting. | Katharine Q. Seelye, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and John Eligon contributed reporting. |
| This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | |
| Correction: April 30, 2013 | |
An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the Rhode Island town where Katherine Russell grew up. It is North Kingstown, not North Kingston. |