Former Mass. Gov. Michael Dukakis, A Family Friend To Defendant, Testifies At Phillipos Trial

Robel Phillipos has a large and diverse circle of friends. At UMass Dartmouth he was a close friend of of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Phillipos is on trial for allegedly lying to federal agents about his presence at Tsarnaev's college dorm room days after the bombings.

But Phillipos also has a famous, life-long friend and yesterday, that friend was a surprise witness for the defense. WBUR's Bruce Gellerman, who is covering the trial, joins Morning Edition to discuss how reporters and spectators reacted as Michael Dukakis, a former Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential nominee, took to the witness stand.