Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev was born on July 22, 1993, to Anzor Tsarnaev, a Chechen, and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, an Avar. He had an older brother named Tamerlan, who was born on October 21, 1986. After World War II, the Tsarnaev family was forcibly moved from Chechnya to the Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan by the Soviet Union. The family moved around Central Asia for many years during the late 20th century. Anzor and Zubeidat got married in the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and Tamerlan was born there a day later. Dzhokhar's early years were spent in Kyrgyzstan, although there is some debate whether he was born there or in Dagestan, Russia.

In 2001, the family relocated to Makhachkala, Dagestan. In April 2002, Dzhokhar and his parents traveled to the United States on a 90-day tourist visa. Anzor successfully applied for asylum, claiming he feared persecution because of his ties to Chechnya. Tamerlan had stayed behind with an uncle in Kyrgyzstan and arrived in the U.S. about two years later. The family then applied for asylum for their four children, who were granted derivative asylum status. They settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For about a decade, the family faced many challenges. Anzor worked as a mechanic while Zubeidat worked as a cosmetologist until she lost her job. They relied on welfare benefits during this time. In March 2007, the family was granted legal permanent residency. Dzhokhar eventually became a U.S. citizen while he was in college.

Dzhokhar attended Cambridgeport Elementary School and Cambridge Community Charter School's middle school program. He later attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he became an avid wrestler and earned recognition as a Greater Boston League winter all-star. He occasionally worked as a lifeguard at Harvard University. He graduated from high school in 2011 and received a scholarship from the city of Cambridge.

In September 2011, Dzhokhar enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He initially planned to major in marine biology but later switched to nursing. He was described by some classmates as popular and normal, while others found him to be "creepy." He sometimes smoked marijuana and enjoyed hip hop music. At the time of his college life, he was struggling academically, holding a low GPA and facing financial issues from unpaid bills.

On April 15, 2013, during the Boston Marathon, two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line. The blasts killed three people and injured 264 others. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of the suspects. After the bombing, he continued to use social media and even told people in Boston to "stay safe."

On April 18, 2013, the FBI released images of the Tsarnaev brothers as suspects. Later that day, they returned to their family’s apartment to gather weapons and explosives. That evening, they shot and killed Sean Collier, an MIT police officer, in a failed attempt to steal his gun. They then carjacked an SUV and took its owner hostage for a time.

A massive manhunt began. The police searched for the brothers in Watertown, Massachusetts. During a shootout with police on April 19, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's brother, was killed. Dzhokhar fled the scene, running away on foot after driving over his brother.

Dzhokhar was eventually discovered hiding in a boat in a backyard. He was injured and arrested on April 19. After being taken into custody, investigators questioned him, and he admitted to being involved in the bombing. He indicated the attacks were motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs and the U.S. military actions overseas. He also confessed to planning additional bombings in New York City.

Dzhokhar faced multiple charges, including using a weapon of mass destruction. He pleaded not guilty to all charges initially. Later, he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death after a jury trial. The case went through several appeals, including reinstating his death sentence after it was briefly overturned on procedural grounds. As of 2024, he remains imprisoned on death row in Colorado.