For years, the parents of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did not strictly follow practices of the Muslim religion.
Speaking to the court on Monday, Raisat Suleimanova, Tsarnaev's cousin, testified that her aunt and uncle were "removed" from practical traditions of the religion until 2010, to her knowledge, according to USA Today.
Suleimanova said she was "in shock" five years ago when she saw Tsarnaev's mother wearing a hijab and conforming to the religion's dressing standards for women.
"It was a shock for me, knowing what kind of person Zubeidat used to be," Suleimanova said. She added that at one time her aunt was "fashionable," USA Today reported.
Tsarnaev is like a brother to Suleimanova because she has no siblings, she told the court. That made her feel obligated to testify in his favor to try and paint him as someone who was radically following the orders of his older brother Tamerlan.
"I came for the sake of my brother, whom I love very much," she said. "He is part of my family. I have no right not to come here."
Suleimanova, who was one of many of Tsarnaev's relatives receiving federal protection as a condition of testifying, said she had not been in contact with Tsarnaev since he came to the United States. She explained that growing up he was always a happy and loving child, citing a story about how he was shown affection by a usually strict aunt of theirs.
"With his kindness, he changed her," she said. "He could do whatever he wanted. She (the aunt) said herself, 'This child has changed me.' She started loving everybody, including the children."
Naida Suleimanova, also a cousin of Tsarnaev, agreed with Raisat that the younger Tsarnaev was a loving child, but noted that he always did what his older brother demanded.
"It was the custom in our family: You would always listen to your older sibling," she said. "You would always try to listen to your older sibling and try to follow his example."
Tsarnaev's defense trial is in its fourth day. He faces the death penalty for his involvement in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
