It’s been almost two years since two pressure cooker bombs combusted near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing 3 and injuring 264. On Wednesday, March 4, the trial for alleged assailant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will begin.
Jury selection came to an end on Tuesday when presiding Judge George O’Tool and both legal teams determined a jury pool of 10 women and 8 men – 12 jurors and 6 alternates.
“At least three had said that they believed Mr. Tsarnaev was guilty but that they could keep an open mind and decide on the evidence presented,” reported the New York Times. “All the others said they had made no determination as to his guilt.”
Opening statements will be delivered at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Jury selection proved to be a drawn out processes for which an initial pool of over 1,300 potentials was whittled down to 12 over more than a month’s time. HIstoric winter weather and a substantial voir dire pushed the initial start date of Jan. 26 to today.
Tsarnaev’s defense team filed numerous motions to change relocate the trial to a venue outside of Boston, citing what they contend to be an extreme bias on the part of the jurors.
Judge O’Toole repeatedly denied these motions but the defense tried to outflank the judge by bringing their case to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which agreed to hear arguments as to why and why not the trial should and shouldn’t be relocated. Ultimately, the Appellate Court, too, denied motions to relocate.
The infamous trial, with its lengthy roster of possible witnesses and innumerable pieces of evidence, is expected to last until June.
Tsarnaev faces 30 federal counts, 17 of which carry the weight of the death penalty.
He and his older brother Tamerlan are also thought to be responsible for the murder of MIT police officer Sean Collier, who was shot and killed while sitting in his cruiser. Tamerlan was killed in a firefight with police on the streets of Watertown days after the Marathon, and it’s thought Tsarnaev’s defense will be centered around the argument that Tamerlan coerced him into participating.
