This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/05/boston-marathon-bombings-jury-dzhokhar-tsarnaev
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Boston Marathon bombings trial: Tsarnaev jury selection begins | Boston Marathon bombings trial: Tsarnaev jury selection begins |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Jury selection for the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused in the Boston Marathon attacks, begins on Monday, with those chosen to decide whether Tsarnaev planned and carried out the twin bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260 near the finish line of the race on 15 April 2013. | Jury selection for the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused in the Boston Marathon attacks, begins on Monday, with those chosen to decide whether Tsarnaev planned and carried out the twin bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260 near the finish line of the race on 15 April 2013. |
| If the jury finds him guilty, they will decide whether he should be put to death. | |
| It is perhaps the most closely watched federal death penalty case since Timothy McVeigh was convicted and executed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Tsarnaev’s lawyers tried in vain for months to get the trial moved, arguing the Boston jury pool was tainted because of the number of locals with connections to the race. They drew parallels to the McVeigh case, which was moved for similar reasons. | It is perhaps the most closely watched federal death penalty case since Timothy McVeigh was convicted and executed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Tsarnaev’s lawyers tried in vain for months to get the trial moved, arguing the Boston jury pool was tainted because of the number of locals with connections to the race. They drew parallels to the McVeigh case, which was moved for similar reasons. |
| Jury selection is expected to take several weeks because of extensive media coverage. The process also could be slowed if potential jurors express objections to the death penalty. | Jury selection is expected to take several weeks because of extensive media coverage. The process also could be slowed if potential jurors express objections to the death penalty. |
| Some legal observers say Tsarnaev’s lawyers, facing powerful evidence against him, will probably focus their energies on the penalty phase, when they could present mitigating evidence to spare his life. | Some legal observers say Tsarnaev’s lawyers, facing powerful evidence against him, will probably focus their energies on the penalty phase, when they could present mitigating evidence to spare his life. |
| Prosecutors say the 21-year-old and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev – ethnic Chechens who had lived in the US for about a decade – carried out the bombings as retaliation for US actions in Muslim countries. The brothers are also accused of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer. Tamerlan, 26, died after a shootout with police several days after the bombings. | |
| Dzhokhar was captured later that day, wounded, hiding inside a boat stored in a suburban yard. Prosecutors said he described a motive in a note written in the boat saying “the US government is killing our innocent civilians” and “we Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all”. | |
| Tsarnaev’s lawyers may lay the groundwork for some kind of mental health explanation, said Christopher Dearborn, a professor at Suffolk University law school. That could include any persecution his family might have suffered as ethnic minorities in Kyrgyzstan, where the brothers spent most of their lives before moving to the US with their parents and two sisters. | Tsarnaev’s lawyers may lay the groundwork for some kind of mental health explanation, said Christopher Dearborn, a professor at Suffolk University law school. That could include any persecution his family might have suffered as ethnic minorities in Kyrgyzstan, where the brothers spent most of their lives before moving to the US with their parents and two sisters. |
| “I think the real value in that may be to start to try to generate even a little bit of empathy around this and humanise the kid a little bit, hopefully enough to save a life,” Dearborn said. | “I think the real value in that may be to start to try to generate even a little bit of empathy around this and humanise the kid a little bit, hopefully enough to save a life,” Dearborn said. |
| At least one of three college friends convicted of lying or impeding the investigation is expected to testify against Tsarnaev. Another friend who pleaded guilty to possessing a gun used to kill a police officer during the manhunt is also expected to testify for the prosecution. | At least one of three college friends convicted of lying or impeding the investigation is expected to testify against Tsarnaev. Another friend who pleaded guilty to possessing a gun used to kill a police officer during the manhunt is also expected to testify for the prosecution. |
| Supporters of Tsarnaev have demonstrated outside the courthouse during pretrial hearings. | Supporters of Tsarnaev have demonstrated outside the courthouse during pretrial hearings. |
| Heather Abbott, who lost part of her left leg in the bombings, is one of several victims who plan to attend at least part of the trial. She said she hoped to gain some understanding of the motive. | Heather Abbott, who lost part of her left leg in the bombings, is one of several victims who plan to attend at least part of the trial. She said she hoped to gain some understanding of the motive. |
| “I don’t see it as something that will get me past the horror of that day,” she said. “It’s something that I will always live with.” | “I don’t see it as something that will get me past the horror of that day,” she said. “It’s something that I will always live with.” |