Dun Meng

Dun Meng testified for the prosecution on Day 32 about the armed taking of his Mercedes on April 18, 2013. He attributed the initial entry, gun threats, taking of cash and wallet, and directions to drive to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. He reported Tamerlan's claims of responsibility for the Marathon explosion and killing a policeman in Cambridge, rather than claiming firsthand knowledge of those crimes. Meng identified Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the second man and described his use of Meng's bank card and attempts to obtain gas.

Meng recounted escaping at the Shell station while Dzhokhar was inside the store and Tamerlan handled a Garmin GPS. He ran across the street to the Mobil station, asked the attendant to call 911, and hid in a storage room. He also acknowledged deliberately denying that his car had GPS and telling his captor he would not remember his face, explaining that these statements were meant to protect him.

During continued direct examination, Meng authenticated gas-station videos and the 911 recording. The court admitted a composite recording without objection, and it was played. Meng explained his requests for help and the phone-location and Mercedes tracking information he gave police. He identified the vehicle through photographs, its plate, and a VIN matching his lease. He denied putting a Tupperware bomb in the car or owning the CD played that night, while saying he did not know how the photographed quarter-panel damage occurred.

On cross-examination, Meng confirmed that Tamerlan's gun was the only gun he saw and recalled Dzhokhar first asking about connecting an iPhone to play music. On redirect, he identified Dzhokhar as the person who requested his PIN, withdrew money, and got out twice to obtain gas. Meng qualified his account of the loading: he had not looked back or identified the items, but felt two people were moving something. The court overruled defense objections concerning scope and leading. His answer that Dzhokhar never denied having a gun did not establish that he possessed one.