Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
A former college student whose act of domestic terrorism killed three and wounded hundreds at the 2013 Boston Marathon, shattering a city's sense of security.
Born 1993 (age 33)·Boston Marathon bomber·Birthday: July 22·Millennials
Biography
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's life represents a jarring fracture between an unremarkable American adolescence and an act of horrific violence. Born in Kyrgyzstan to a Chechen family, he moved to the United States as a child, becoming a naturalized citizen in 2012. He attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he was a wrestler, and later enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. To friends and neighbors, he appeared integrated, even winning a scholarship. This facade collapsed on April 15, 2013, when he and his older brother Tamerlan detonated two pressure-cooker bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line. The attack killed three, including an eight-year-old boy, and injured hundreds, many suffering traumatic amputations. A days-long manhunt paralyzed the Boston area, ending with Tamerlan dead and Dzhokhar captured, hiding in a dry-docked boat. His trial revealed a radicalization fueled by online jihadist propaganda and a fractured family life. In 2015, a federal jury sentenced him to death, a sentence later vacated and reinstated, making him a permanent figure on federal death row.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Dzhokhar was born in 1993, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dzhokhar Was Born
The biggest hits of 1993
#1 Movie
Jurassic Park
Best Picture
Schindler's List
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Dzhokhar's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1993Born
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1998Started school
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2006Became a teenager
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2009Could drive
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2011Could vote
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2014Turned 21
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2023Turned 30
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 33 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Convicted on 30 federal charges, including use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
- Subject of one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history, leading to a shelter-in-place order for the entire city of Boston and surrounding towns.
- Received the death penalty in a federal trial, a sentence that underwent multiple appeals and reinstatements.
- His case prompted widespread debate over homegrown terrorism, immigration, and the death penalty in the United States.
Did You Know?
He was a naturalized U.S. citizen, having taken the oath of citizenship in September 2012, just seven months before the bombing.
He won a $2,500 scholarship from the City of Cambridge while a senior in high school.
While on the run, he hid inside a winterized boat stored in a backyard in Watertown, Massachusetts, where the owner noticed blood and a loose tarp.
He scribbled a note inside the boat justifying the attacks as retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries.
“I am sorry for the lives I have taken and the suffering I have caused.”
