Elmirza Khozhugov

Elmirza Khozhugov testified for the defense on Day 59 by video from the U.S. Embassy in Almaty. Drawing on his former marriage to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's sister Ailina and his friendship with Tamerlan, he described visits to the Cambridge household. He recalled Dzhokhar, whom he called Jahar, as quiet, polite, and studious, and portrayed Tamerlan as a protective older brother whom Jahar generally followed. His account addressed the defense's claim of older-brother influence through family observations and cultural expectations.

Khozhugov described parental conflict, Zubeidat's authority, and her closeness with Tamerlan. He recalled religious and political conversations involving Misha and reported that Tamerlan later attributed abandoning boxing and music to Misha's advice. These explanations came from Tamerlan rather than Khozhugov's firsthand observation of those decisions. The defense also displayed family photographs and elicited an account of Jahar's relationship with Khozhugov's son that relied partly on what the child told him.

Judy Clarke addressed adverse family history on direct examination. Khozhugov acknowledged losing his temper, putting his hands on Ailina, and being arrested. He said Tamerlan bailed him out and advised patience. He also acknowledged that his son's stay in Kazakhstan was initially temporary and said he decided not to send him back after the bombings and identification of the suspects.

On cross-examination, Aloke Chakravarty tested Khozhugov's cultural claims, prior FBI statements, and access to family information. Khozhugov acknowledged greater familiarity with Tamerlan than Jahar and limited later contact. He accepted that information passed through relatives might have been filtered by Zubeidat, without saying that it certainly was. He clarified the timing of his boxing account and described Ruslan, the youngest brother, as a successful family supporter, qualifying the generalization that older brothers led younger relatives.