Dun ‘Danny’ Meng
by Josée Lépine
I am about to tell you the ‘tale’ of a man who the authorities say sealed their case against Dzhokhar (Jahar) Tsarnaev, namely Chinese entrepreneur, Dun Meng aka Danny. From the very beginning Danny had told police that he was carjacked by the brothers who had done the Marathon bombing in Boston.
The US Government repeatedly claim that they have overwhelming evidence the Tsarnaev brothers bombed the Marathon, killed a police officer, carjacked and kidnapped Dun Meng, and engaged in a firefight with police. In my opinion they failed miserably during the trial and could not prove any of it.
At some point I gave up reading news articles on the Marathon case and decided to wait and see what came out in court. I have purchased all the transcripts (available so far) of Jahar’s trial, and shared them with the website weebly.com, where you can access them (trial transcripts 1544 and 1546).
Danny the carjackee had told the press, back in 2013, that his assailant (Tamerlan Tsarnaev) had rapped on the glass. Danny, unable to hear him, lowered the window — and the man reached an arm through, unlocked the door, and climbed in, brandishing a silver handgun.
Government exhibit 930
As you see the gun that ended up in court is not silver, but no one in the defense team quizzed Danny about the discrepancy.
Anyway, for today I want to concentrate on the “gas station evidence.”
All about Surveillance Cameras
So let’s look at Transcript 1544. Alan Mednick, owner of the Memorial Shell gas station at 820 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, took the stand. Prosecutor Weinreb asked him to identify the following photographs. Mednick agreed that those are accurate photographs.
Government exhibit 742 – Situating the two gas stations
Government exhibit 743 – The Memorial Drive Shell
Government exhibit 744 – Another view from River Street, with Shell on the left
Then Weinreb asked Mednick if his gas station has security cameras. His answer is quite surprising – Yes it does — 16 of them. They cover outside — most of the property — and inside cameras, too.
When asked if they take fair and accurate video recordings of what they’re pointed at? His answer was ‘absolutely’.
Weinreb shows the jurors two more pictures of that gas station, this time revealing at least one video camera.
Government exhibit 746
Government exhibit 747
When asked what happened on April 18, the owner recounted he was woken up at 12:30 a.m. and was asked to go to the station. [Note: he really means the wee hours of April nineteenth.]
When he arrived, a police officer did not want him to go inside the gas station and look at any surveillance videos until the FBI got there. Why?
He and the police officers, however, did not wait for the FBI to arrive before viewing the surveillance video. Detective Flynn from Cambridge Police asked Mednick, the owner, to check the video right away. So he played it back for him.
Then Mednick played the video again for a state trooper, but this time they gave him a USB (flash drive) onto which he should downloaded copies of the video, so Mednick did that.
Detective Flynn asked him to make photocopies and he obliged, as fortunately he carries a color printer with him in his car! Then two FBI agents arrived and he obliged again and downloaded the video on a flash drive for them.
Cherry-picking the Evidence
Then Weinreb asked Mednick if he has seen a version of that surveillance tape that he gave the authorities but combining tape from different cameras. (Please keep this in mind.) He stated under oath that the combined one was a fair and accurate copy of portions of the tape that he gave to the police that night.
(I will tell you that it could not possibly be “fair and accurate”. There must have been a lot of cherry-picking that went on, as to which bits of which videos would go into that final product!)
To prove a crime, shouldn’t you show all of it? Why leave doubts? Is there really any so-called ‘overwhelming evidence’ that Dun Meng was actually kidnapped and carjacked — and ‘heroically’ escaped? There’s none at all. It is a chimera, a trick, a disgusting batch of lies.
What Door Did Who Exit From?
Please go to Trial Exhibit 748 and watch this short video.
You can see a black SUV pull up to the pump at the Memorial Drive Gas station. You see a man, possibly it is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, exiting the SUV from the front passenger door.
WHAT? Dun Meng testified under oath on Day 6 of the trial that Dzhokhar was sitting in the back passenger seat directly behind him (not in the front). Note: Dun Meng also testified that when Dzhokhar exited the SUV, he was left alone in it with Tamerlan.
Significantly, we never see the licence plate of that SUV. Why not, with sixteen cameras on the premise, surely one of them would have picked it up. Remember: this exhibit is a compilation of the captures of the all Mr Mednick’s surveillance cameras. It is, at the very least, ‘doctored’ in so far as much has been cut out.
Maybe the first part of the video is from a day other than April 18, 2013? Couldn’t Dzhokhar, with some friend that happens to own a black SUV, go grab snacks? Notice: there is no date/time stamp on that exhibit to prove that the picture was captured on April 18, 2013 — or that the SUV we see belongs to Dun Meng).
Exculpation in Spades (in My Opinion)
This video in fact constitutes exculpatory evidence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Although the defense did not say so in court, they had filed many motions before the trial, demanding, as law provides, that the prosecutor hand over any exculpatory evidence
These motions were ultimately DENIED by US District Judge George A. O’Toole – a point that is itself shock and inexplicable.
Note: the direct examination of Dun Meng was ‘performed’ by none other than US Attorney Steven D Mellin. I invite you to check who this great attorney is.
Now then, with 16 cameras that take fair and accurate video of what they’re pointed at, why did the government choose to show such a flimsy piece of evidence? And why didn’t the defense take advantage of it?
I think the defense is trying to confound the jurors by not pointing out the poor evidence being displayed. And their only cross-examination of Dun Meng was about a cell phone call that Tamerlan would have made at the time he was (supposedly) in the car with Dun Meng. They did nothing to challenge the gas station videos.
Stephen Silva testified that he and Dzhokhar were regular customers at that particular Shell Food Mart, perhaps 3 times a week. So of course it would have been easy for the government to obtain video footage of Dzhokhar wandering around in the Shell Food Mart shopping for snacks.
Policeman Nickerson
Cambridge police officer Michael Nickerson was next called to the stand. He testified that he was dispatched at 12:19 a.m. to 816 Memorial Drive from a report of a carjacking.
He said the carjacking victim was very scared. You could tell that something — you know, he was a victim of something. He was very — you could tell he was scared. Etcetera!
When prosecutor Weinreb asked Nickerson what the victim told him, for some reason Defense attorney Miriam Conrad reacted with an objection that was surprisingly sustained by the Judge.
Then something odd took place in the courtroom. When Weinreb asked Officer Nickerson what the victim told him with respect to the car, Ms. Conrad objected again, even though she is supposedly on the defense team.
According to Officer Nickerson, Dun Meng had said he got carjacked and he gave information about the car (description and plate number, the fact that it had an Mbrace GPS, etc.).
But unbelievably Danny never told Nickerson that the two persons who carjacked him were none other than the Boston Marathon bombers and the ones that killed the MIT Police Officer.
Did Officer Nickerson almost blow it for the Government when asked the following question?
Q. When you called in the information about the car, the license plate and the description, what was the purpose of that?
A. To notify the units out in the city of — to be on the lookout for that vehicle so we could, you know, apprehend the people.
My guess is that he was about to say ‘the city of Watertown’! Why mention a particular city when the entire surrounding of Boston was looking for the bombers? What I am hinting here, and it is only speculation, is that if Nickerson knew, at this early stage (12.30-ish) that “Watertown” was going to be involved, we’re talking about a planned event, a set-up.
The Eyes of Camera 1
There’s something else about the government’s Exhibit 748, the one we linked to above that portrays action at the gas pump. Camera 1, according to the exhibit, is the camera that captured the SUV pulling in at the pump when it is vacated by a motorcycle. It shows a person (who looks like Dzhokhar) exiting from the front passenger seat, But it also shows a police cruiser go by. I don’t know what to make of that.
Another suspicious aspect of this piece of evidence submitted to court (with all due promises under perjury that it is genuine) is that Dun Meng said that the SUV was parked at pump 5, although the video shown the SUV was parked at pump 6. Were there two black SUV’s on the scene?
But the strangest thing is that camera 1 also captures Dzhokhar shopping for snacks inside the Food Mart! Perhaps someone should tell Alan Mednick, the owner of the Shell Food Mart, that he does not need to pay for 16 surveillance camera since camera 1 not only captures the exterior but also the interior of his premises….
Date Stamp, Anyone?
As for there being no date/time stamp on the exhibit – What is the purpose of video surveillance camera if it cannot tell the exact date and time it is capturing a possible crime? Prosecutor Weinreb questions Allan Mednick about the timing:
Q. Do you know approximately what time of the evening is captured on this video?
A. It was approximately twelve-fifteen, twelve o’clock, somewhere around there. It was midnight, somewhere around there.
I should also like to offer – but this is just my opinion – that the young man doing the shopping sometimes appears to be the real Jahar but at other times appears to be a different person, maybe a stooge. I presume facial-recognition technology could verify the identity of these men.
Conclusion – for Now
Most of all, this government Exhibit 748 is very important as it demonstrates prosecutorial misconduct. They have ‘manipulated’ the evidence to suit their narrative.
Wonderfully, at the same time, it is exculpatory evidence for Jahar. I mean the very fact that the authorities would mess up the video is good enough for an acquittal. And if I am right about Jahar being shown as exiting from the front door, rather than the back door – per Dun’s testimony – then Dun has perjured himself.
A final point. I must inject a concern that has been developing for some time. I think the jurors are not playing it straight. There’s something off in their behaviour. All of us have watched innumerable courtroom dramas on TV. Everybody knows that the defense always presses the prosecution’s witnesses to try to poke holes in their story. But not in the Boston Marathon case!
Surely one, or many, of the Boston jurors should have said “What is going on here?” I am astonished that they failed to find Dzhokhar Tsarnaev not guilty of the crime of kidnapping and carjacking Dun Meng. I think I may ask Juror 83 since he has already come forward.
Will let you know if I find out any good explanation. But don’t hold your breath.
— Josée Lépine got involved in the Marathon case as an ordinary citizen who simply could not believe the things being purveyed by the media. We welcome her to Gumshoe.
The “defense” attorney admitted guilt for the bombing for her client in the opening statement. The defense did not introduce evidence that Tsarnaev wore a WHITE BACKPACK. FBI photos and reports were that the bombs were concealed in black backpacks.
It is a black/white open and shut case of innocence.
We have a lot of those open-shut jobs. Check Port Arthur.
What is SHOCKINGLY disregarded is that Jahar picks out a bunch of snacks and doesn’t want to steal even a chocolate bar. Having apparently just killed an officer in cold blood —. Jahar causally just saunters around the store with a ‘not a worry in the world’ look. Allegedly Tamarlan then calls him, Then Jahar doesn’t run out with the goods, but dutifully returns the items. This does not make sense.
As Gumshoe readers know, the book about 9/11 that I set most stock in, is:
Elias Davidsson’s “Hijacking America’s Mind on 9-11”
I think we need a book “Carjacking Boston’s Mind in 2013”
I still can’t understand the people of Beantown falling for such a thin story. What ever happened to their grey matter?
Yea – the white backpack has been hunting me so much. Now at the trial the black backpack turned out to be a black and while Fox backpack. Everytime I have doubts the brothers bombed the Marathon I immediately go back to Jahar’s backpack that he carried on one shoulder on Boylston street. If you look at it (and I mean it is still on the FBI-Boston Website) and you can also look at it in Government exhibit 22, you will notice that the middle of the backpack is crunched (the back touches the front) so now I dare anyone to tell me how a 30- pound pressure cooker did not fall at the bottom of the backpack.
“Not all pressure cookers are equal”. This one was very thin. As thin as a piece of paper.
(Does anyone remember onion-skin paper?)
Plus, it was definitely not a FOX backpack, and strangely enough, the complete FOX logo from “the” backpack survived intact, but not a shred of the white material from the backpack could be found. Not a word of this was mentioned at the trial.
Excellent article Josée
When you pointed out the many problems with the evidence here, I could not help notice THE GUY THAT JUST HANGS AROUND… then checks his phone.
https://daliamaelachlan.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/guy.jpg
0.48 this guy in a jumper and white collar appears and hangs around at the counter — for ages.
1.44 another patron appears to buy something. This guy turns as Jahar comes – then glances at Jahar
1.54 Jahar looks undecided and both just wait
1.59 Guy then looks at his phone (2.02), picks up his drinks and leaves…
Handler?
No doubt he could be a handler. I had never noticed him before and I think I will put good people to investigate this. It is forth it. Everyone needs to keep looking deeper into this case
Josee and Gumshoe, thank you again (and again) for bringing the light of day to this very dark govt/military ‘complex’ deed of ‘resident evil’. it’s not ever ‘going away’ until the true perps (see govt/military ‘complex’…) are investigated and beyond any shadow, are held fully and wholly accountable for their actions here. as I’ve mentioned already to Mary, international court level (not their own kangaroo court, kangaroo judge and kangaroo defense and prosecutors (I mean really, who could tell the diffference?) the real perps being tried for crimes against humanity, ‘we the people’, the murder of Tamerlan in custody, the attempted murder of Jahar in the… yup, city of Watertown, the complete exposure of the trumped up trial, prosecutorial misconduct, no defense team, the whole shabang… infinite thanks for your diligence and expressing of all that is good and right in humanity…
You know Jana, when people referred to a fake trial I was like, no it cannot be. But after following that trial it is the jurors that convinced me that indeed it was a fake trial. No conclusive evidences were presented to them. How could they convict him of EVERYTHING. A year after the trial the names of the jurors are still sealed and so is the portion of the trial that relates to Voir Dire.
Great article Josee! It’s good to see that many people are diligently looking into this fraudulent miscarriage of justice. With 16 cameras and this is the only ridiculous “evidence” shown in court certainly proves misconduct on the part of the FBI and the prosecution, not to mention the non defense. It also seems odd that later after Dzhokhar is shot 16 times and pulled from the boat he has light colored blue jeans on, but here he has on dark green or black pants. Seems strange to be calmly taking your time picking out snacks knowing that thousands of cops are out looking for you since you just allegedly killed a cop less than 2 hours before. Odd behavior for a “terrorist”, although two of the France “terrorists” were also allegedly shopping for snacks in a convenience store after their murder spree. Maybe killing makes people mellow and hungry, or maybe it’s just another sign of FBI involvement, along with intact passports, high school diplomas and other ID.
I wish for 2016 that people wake up, sand-up for themselve and start demanding answers to their government. If they don’t well they might as well be robots.
Cheryl, what “high school diploma” are you referring to?
And have you read Dee’s article on “magical passports?”
(Gumshoe has a good search engine. Just type in “magical.”)
yes, I read Dee’s article, very good. Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s drivers license and high school diploma was just laying on the back seat of the Honda civic, (Dzhokhar’s car) as the car sat on Laurel St in Watertown after the “shootout” after Dzhokhar allegedly fled in the SUV. Talk about convenient. Seems it’s a trend in false flags.
Was the high school diploma framed with glass? or laminated? or was it just rolled up? or sticking out of a coke can, or what?
The People Need To Know.
Let’s ask the police for photos. Oh wait, let’s not.
This is really hot stuff, Cheryl. Tamerlan had graduated from high school at least 7 years earlier.
the diploma was just laying on the backseat of the car, not in a frame, not laminated, just laying on the seat for anyone to see. How “lucky” for the FBI to find the culprits ID right away.
The internet withthousands of sleuths: Government’s/fascist’s worst nightmare, not to mention the mass media’s fraudulent redundance and deserved demise.
So they may have doctored the security camera tapes? Surprised?
At the Pentagon for 911 they only turned up about four frames proving nothing.
Nothing surprising.
On that note, Ned, recall James O’Neill’s article at Gumshoe stating that some of the very players in the JFK assassination of 1963 were involved in 9-11. (Poor fellows, working so hard for the man all those 37 years!). I quote O’Neill:
“What is of particular interest in 2015 is the extent to which the mainstream media will go to suppress the real evidence; promote absurd “revelations” as SBS did last year in promoting the “accidental” shooting of Kennedy by a Secret Service agent in a car following the presidential limousine; and the persistent defaming of those who point out, for example, the scientific impossibilities of the official explanations of deep events as ‘conspiracy theorists’.
A term incidentally, promoted by the CIA as Lance de Haven Smith has shown, from the 1960s as a means of discrediting those who were drawing uncomfortable inferences about the CIA’s role in the Kennedy killing.”
I think the author (Lepine) is saying that no carjacking took place and that what the jurors saw that looks like involvement of Jahar is just a lot of “photoshopping.” I myself think no carjacking took place. Had there never been a “Danny” in the Marathon story, it would have been hard for media to persuade people that the Tsarnaev brothers were the bombers. So behold, Danny was born.
Pardon me for waxing Tasmanian here, but there always has to be a human-interest aspect, to get people to absorb the story. Thus, for Port Arthur, we were told that Martin Bryant actually went to Seascape cottage with murder in his heart because many years ago, when his Dad wanted to buy Seascape cottage, the owners blocked him.
If a reader were ASKED to evaluate the likelihood of such behavior she would say “I don’t think a man does a murder over such a small grudge.” But we are never asked to evaluate. We are just told “Here is the explanation,” and when the human brain is informed that something is the answer (“five times eight is FORTY”) our brain closes off. Tavistock capitalises on this all the time.
I wonder what Jahar had for breakfast in prison today.
Or what Martin Bryant had.
Lotta brekkies being wasted on these two non-criminals.
Ms. Lepine, my admirations to people like you, Cheryl Dean, and Mary Maxwell, who are consistently working on exposing key facts that were “overlooked” during the trial. I hope materials like this will bring the truth to light for more and more people.
Dear Antonina, as far as i know that is our only hope — for more peeps to join in the action. Ned says, below, that thousands of internet sleuths is “the nightmare of a fascist government.” I guess he is right but even if millions became good sleuths that still is not going to undo the police powers.
I worry that telling everyone that Judge O’Toole is unscrupulous will just add to people’s defeatism. I would like to hear about good judges. Last year I heard that Judge Edith, oops, ca’t remember her surname, took an admirable position in the appeal of the BP oilspill case. We should support her, and this may cause the younger judges to emulate her.
I really appreciate everyone’s work on both the Boston marathon case and the Port Arthur case. They are both obviously phony from start to finish and engineered for the purpose of blaming innocent people for “crimes,” some of which never occurred, including the carjacking, the “bombing,” the murder of a campus “officer,” and the deaths and injuries of spectators at the marathon, etc., etc.
One thing that’s been bothering me recently is the statement that came up several times about Dzhokhar’s really big nose. I don’t see that he had a particularly big nose and I’m wondering whether there may have been a look-alike that was used who had a really big nose, or whether that’s just part of the official narrative or what. The Tsarnaev brothers told their father that they did not go to and had not been at the marathon. I also remember watching a video online that was analyzed by someone who showed that an image of Tamerlan had been inserted into the crowd scene at the marathon, that he had not actually been standing in that particular location where the image showed he was, near where the guy with the missing legs was standing.
I have no doubt that the truth will come out eventually. I just hope it’s soon enough so that the innocent parties in these cases can get their lives and freedom back.
Thanks again to everyone working on these cases!
Nice work, Josée. Very concise on the anomalies. Yes, the missing time stamp is HUGE. As far as Jahar exiting the front passenger door, we actually never see him exit the vehicle at all. We simply see him emerge from behind the pump. We do see the rear passenger door and it never moves. There is one theory that the video was cut at the moment the SUV pulls up and stops at the pump and the brake lights go off, hence the necessity to remove the time stamp which would expose the cut. If there is a cut at that moment, we have no idea what transpired, and for how long, up to the point we first see Jahar. They all could have played musical seats at the pump for several minutes and we would never know.
Good to see people are still taking this seriously. Keep up the good work.