Mortician still stuck with Boston Marathon bomber's body

BOSTON, May 5 (UPI) -- A Boston-area mortician called on the U.S. government to help him convince a cemetery to accept the body of accused marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Peter Stefan last week agreed to handle the remains and said the refusal of cemeteries to a provide grave space was needlessly dragging out the dispute.

"This is a nightmare," Stefan told The Boston Herald.

Stefan said the Tsarnaev family wants the remains buried in the Boston area; however, protesters have demanded the body be sent outside the United States for internment.

"Under normal circumstances, the government would say it's (the funeral parlor's) responsibility to find a place for burial, but this is not normal circumstances," said Stefan.

A terrorism expert told the newspaper it might be worth the effort to have Tsarnaev's body flown by the military to his native Caucuses for burial. "Do you want to use taxpayer dollars to help fix a vandalized cemetery or get rid of the body in the most convenient way that would rid us of the problem for good?" asked Edith Flynn of Northeastern University.

Meanwhile, the attorneys for a teenage friend of the surviving suspect, Dzhokar Tsarnaev, filed a motion Saturday seeking bail for his client, Robel Phlippos.

"This case is about a frightened and confused 19-year-old who was subjected to intense questioning and interrogation, without the benefit of counsel, and in the context of one of the worst attacks against the nation," the motion said.

Phillipos is charged with trying to cover for Tsarnaev by getting rid of a laptop and other evidence in his dormitory room as investigators closed in.

The Boston Globe said a hearing on the request would be held Monday.