Trooper who leaked Boston Marathon bombing suspect photos decides to retire

BOSTON The Massachusetts state trooper who leaked arrest photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev has retired from the force, CBS station WBZ in Boston confirmed Tuesday.

His lawyer, Leonard Kesten, said that after 25 years with the state police, Sgt. Sean Murphy had decided it was time to retire.

"He was absolutely not forced out," Kesten said, adding that Murphy would receive a full pension.

The move came Friday, after internal charges against Murphy were upheld, state police spokesman David Procopio told The Associated Press. Those charged included unauthorized dissemination of information, insubordination, unsatisfactory performance and violation of departmental rules and regulation.

Murphy, who took crime-scene photos as part of his official duties , made headlines in July when he released several photos showing a battered, bloody Tsarnaev on Aug. 19, the night he was captured by authorities. Murphy said he released the photos in response to the publication of what he and many others thought was an inappropriately glamorous photo of Tsarnaev on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Murphy was first suspended and then assigned to desk duty before being transferred from the state police barracks in Framingham to Athol. He never actually worked out of the Athol barracks, however, because he was on leave for an injury sustained off the job.

Kesten told WBZ that Murphy was "happy with state police. It was just time."