As investigative journalism continues to blur the line between tragedy and entertainment, the constant stream of true crime documentaries continues to invade our schedules.
It seems that with the proper footage and meticulous research, these types of shows can be relatively cheaply put together and still draw a huge viewing audience,
Recently we have seen Hulu’s The Murders Before the Marathon and Netflix’s American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing, examining the connection between the Waltham triple homicide and the Boston Marathon bombings.
Details emerge about the murders of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken, and Erik Weissman, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the radicalism of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Facts connect the murders and the bombings and the wife of one of the men at the center of the horror.
This article will focus on the wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and we will answer the question of where Katherine Russell is now. Reader discretion is advised.
Who is Katherine Russell?
Born in Texas to emergency physician Warren Russell and nurse Judith Russell on February 6, 1989, Katherine spent most of her childhood in suburban Rhode Island, New England. Predominantly a Christian household, the young girl had a normal childhood and would be encouraged to follow her love of music and art.
After graduating from North Kingstown High School in 2007, Katherine would have a misstep and was caught shoplifting five items worth $67 from an Old Navy store at the local Warwick Mall. Katherine would pay a fine and do community service for this.
Where is Katherine Russell now?
Four days after the death of her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Katherine Russell moved into her parent’s house with her daughter. Tensions over the religious differences in the family would lead to her eventually, moving to New Jersey to live with her ex-husband’s sisters, Ailina and Bella.
Ailina Tsarnaeva eventually confirmed that Katherine Russell had remarried and had another child after the death of her husband.
She lives a quiet life with her new husband and daughter in New Jersey.
How did Katherine Russell meet her husband?
Katherine would move to Boston as a communications major at Suffolk University. During her time here, she met Chechen-Avar immigrant Tamerlan Tsarnaev through mutual friends at a nightclub. They began dating and would eventually marry in a 15-minute untraditional Masjid office ceremony on June 21, 2010.
Katherine would convert to Islam after the wedding,
Was Katherine Russell ever charged?
Despite an investigation into her after the events of the triple murders and bombings, no charges against Katherine Russell have been made.
Her computer was seized as part of their probe, and searches such as “rewards for wife of mujahedeen” (Arabic for holy warrior) as well as “If your husband becomes a shahid, what are the rewards for you?” were found. Still, these searches were insufficient to warrant any criminal charge against her.
Her husband would be killed in a shoot-out with the police after the bombings in Boston.
Katherine would state that she knew nothing of her husband and brother-in-law’s plan to plant two homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon, an event that would kill three and injure over two hundred spectators, many of whom would lose limbs in the blast.
Therefore, no charges against Katherine “Katie” Russell have been filed in the following years.
