Boston ( CNN ) Prosecutors said Azmat Tazhayakov knew exactly what he was doing after the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing when he helped his friend ditch a laptop and backpack that belonged to schoolmate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev . The assertions were made during opening statements of the first marathon bombing-related trial . `` They did it to protect their close friend , '' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Siegmann . Tazhayakov is charged with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice in connection with alleged actions taken after the bombing . His roommate , Dias Kadyrbayev , faces the same charges , which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years . Both have pleaded not guilty . Another friend , Robel Phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . None is accused in the bomb plot itself . Lawyers for Tazhayakov , a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth student from Kyrgyzstan , said he did everything he could to help the investigation when he spoke with the FBI . Based on that information , authorities found Tsarnaev 's backpack in a landfill and his laptop in the students ' apartment . The government says accused bomber Tsarnaev texted Tazhayakov after the bombing and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what they wanted . He ended the text with a smiley face . His lawyer told jurors , the smiley face is code for marijuana . Tazhayakov asked whether Tsarnaev saw the news of the bombing , according to prosecutors . Tsarnaev responded , `` Do n't go thinking it 's me , you cooked bastard , '' which reportedly is a phrase used to describe those who smoke marijuana . A friend who took the stand as one of the first prosecution witnesses told jurors Tsarnaev sold weed on campus . Prosecutors told jurors Tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting Kadyrbayev , `` i think they got his brother '' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . That 's because the students allegedly recognized the Tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men . Defense lawyers for Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev have said the young men were n't sure it was the Tsarnaev brothers . Kadyrbayev will have a separate trial at a later date . In January 2013 , three months before the bombing , the government saia Tazhayakov stayed over with his pal for two nights and met Tamerlan Tsarnaev , who died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . The FBI suspects Tamerlan helped plot and carry out the terror attack with his little brother . One month before the bombing , the government says the younger Tsarnaev met with his friends at a restaurant and told them he knew how to make a bomb and could make one with gunpowder . He also allegedly discussed martyrdom . `` It was good to die ... as a martyr , as you would die with a smile on your face and go straight to heaven , '' Tsarnaev told them , according to Siegmann . Tazhayakov 's lawyer Nicholas Wooldridge said his client does n't believe in martyrdom and the Tsarnaevs did not act as martyrs because they initially survived the attacks . The defense maintains Tazhayakov , then 19 , did n't understand his legal right to remain silent when the FBI questioned him because of difficulty understanding English and that he was coerced during questioning . His lawyers have asked a judge to throw out his statement , but the judge has not yet ruled on that motion . His lawyers also blame co-defendant Kadrybayev for throwing the backpack in a dumpster , repeatedly telling jurors Tazhayakov never touched the backpack and did n't know it had been ditched . `` We 've been asking God that the truth will come out , and we hope the jury will hear that , '' Tazhayakov 's father said outside court , through a Russian translator . When CNN asked whether his son could have done something differently , his father replied `` Absolutely . Before you make a friend , make sure you make the right decision . ''
They said Azmat Tazhayakov helped dispose of the Tsarnaev 's items . Tazhayakov brought hundreds of bombers before the public , prosecutors said . His lawyers said he did everything he could to assist the FBI . They said statements from him during questioning were coerced .