A police trooper who released photographs of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was placed on restricted duty on Tuesday, for the duration of an internal investigation.
Sgt. Sean Murphy, a tactical photographer with the Massachusetts State Police, is being reprimanded over images he released of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the night he was captured in Watertown.
Three of Murphy's 14 photos show a battered and blood-streaked Tsarnaev emerging from a boat in a backyard.
The police photographer released the images after Rolling Stone placed a profile photo of the terror suspect on the cover of the August edition of the magazine.
Murphy says his photos show the "real Boston bomber, not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine."
On Tuesday Murphy met with a panel at State Police headquarters in Framingham, MA.
State Police Col. Timothy Alben said employees cannot be allowed to "cherry pick" information for public release, reports WCVB.
Alben said he did not expect Murphy to be fired over the incident.
"I don't see Sgt. Murphy being terminated for this particular set of circumstances," he said.
After the hearing, Murphy declined to comment, but his 19-year-old son described his dad as a huge hero.
"He has shown character I hope to model myself after. If I can be a quarter of the man he is now, I'll be more than happy with my life," Conor Murphy said.
Tsarnaev, 20, has pleaded not guilty in connection with the April 15 bombing that killed three and injured or maimed 260.
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