Meet the 'Artist' Behind Boston's Bomb Hoax

Kevin Edson, aka Kayvon Edson, posted strange meme jokes about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2014 12:04 PM CDT

Police have identified the man suspected of planting a fake bomb near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last night, and he is … something else. His name is Kevin Edson, according to the AP. A barefoot Edson approached the finish line last night wearing a black veil over a floppy hat and chanting, "Boston Strong!" Police stopped him and pulled off his veil to find his face painted blue and yellow. He told police there was a pressure cooker in his backpack, and indeed there was—filled with confetti.

Here's what we know about Edson so far:

  • Online he goes by "Kayvon," and he's posted loads of YouTube videos of himself. In one spotted by Daily Intel he describes himself as "a fashion designer, an entrepreneur, a performance artist, a mental patient, a blogger bloggerist, a jailbird, a college dropout, and a drag queen." Later in the video, he laments, "I really need exposure."
  • His Twitter bio reads, "Kayvon is a total Avantgardster and a Fashion Dinosaur. He makes mad f@$h10n and will tell 'ya straight- even though he's a total f*g."
  • Yesterday on his blog, he posted a series of photos of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with what we're guessing are supposed to be funny meme-style captions. "SEXY Til proven innocent," read one. Another photo, which he yesterday made his Facebook cover photo, reads, "Had a blast at the marathon!!! Y U Stalin 2 Call Me???????"
  • Edson's mother tells the AP that he has bipolar disorder. Edson may be referencing that condition in a video the New York Post spotted in which he appears in a makeshift padded cell.
  • Edson's brother posted on Facebook to disavow his actions, writing, "My brother is a different kind of sick. What he did at the finish line earlier today is absurd and shameful. It should not be considered art or condoned in any way. … He thought something like this could get him that fame he always chased."
Police detonated the backpack, along with another that had been left unattended—which NECN revealed actually belonged to their news crew. The reporters had left it behind when the area was evacuated, and weren't allowed to go back for it. Edson will be arraigned today on charges of disorderly conduct, possession of a hoax device, and threats to commit a crime, among others. (More Kevin Edson stories.)

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