Terror
Boston Marathon bombing suspect appears in court as
trial nears
Boston
Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is depicted in federal court in Boston
on Thursday. (Jane Flavell Collins / Associated Press)
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
appeared in U.S. court in Boston on Thursday for the first time in a year and a
half as a federal judge held a final hearing to discuss last-minute issues
before the trial gets underway Jan. 5.
The judge, George O’Toole Jr., did not issue any
rulings during the brief hearing and signaled he would decide later on a
pending request from defense lawyers seeking again to have the case moved out
of Boston. They argue that negative publicity and community outrage makes it
nearly impossible to get a fair trial there.
Three people were killed and more than 260 others
injured when twin pressure-cooker bombs were ignited near the finish line of
the marathon in April 2013.
The defense also wants a formal hearing to investigate
their complaints that the government has selectively leaked damaging
information about their client. Among those complaints are reports by the
Tribune/Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau about a Ruger gun used by
Tsarnaev’s brother that federal agents have traced to a drug ring in the
Portland, Maine, area.
Tsarnaev, 21, said little at the hearing. He was
dressed in a dark sweater and shirt, his hair long, curly and tousled.
According to the Boston Globe, he merely offered yes and no answers to
questions from the judge, and stated he was satisfied with the work of his
lawyers.
Defense lawyers and government prosecutors also discussed
jury questionnaires and other trial-related arrangements. Security was tight
around the courthouse on the Boston waterfront as Tsarnaev arrived and during
the 25-minute session.
At the end of the hearing, the mother-in-law of a
Tsarnaev friend who was shot to death by an FBI agent in Florida shouted out
her support for the defendant, according to ABC News.
Elena Teyer, whose son-in-law Ibragim Todashev was
killed in Florida after allegedly attacking the FBI agent during an interview,
said she told Tsarnaev in Russian: “We prayed for you. Be strong, my son. We
know you are innocent.”
Some 1,200 potential jurors will be called to the
courthouse, and jury selection could last a month. The trial then could take
another two months. The government is seeking the death penalty.
There were no outward signs of a plea agreement, which
some expect might be reached soon.
For the defense, a plea could help Tsarnaev avoid the
death penalty and instead be sentenced to life in prison with no parole.
The government may also want to avoid a trial, which
could renew questions about why federal agents did not more closely watch
Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, after Tamerlan returned to the Boston
area from a trip to Chechnya, where he allegedly met with terrorist groups.
Russian intelligence officials had alerted the U.S. about the trip and asked
for more information about Tamerlan.
Details about the case have largely been kept
confidential. About 90% of court filings, exhibits and judicial orders remain
sealed, making it virtually impossible to determine which side — the defense or
the government — has prevailed in nearly two years of pre-trial skirmishes, and
which side would best benefit from a plea deal.
From the bench Thursday, the judge, who has routinely
approved the sealed filings, said he would like to have more information be
made public but that much of it must remain secret, including proposed witness
lists for the trial.
Two hours after the hearing, the judge from his
chambers issued a series of new sealed orders and accepted several new sealed
motions and sealed exhibits in the case file.
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