Tsarnaev Attorneys Seek Venue Change, Say 68 Percent of Potential Jurors Assume Guilt
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense attorneys again filed papers on Thursday asking for his trial to be moved outside of Boston, citing a prejudiced pool of potential jurors.
“Fully 68 percent of prospective jurors already believe that Mr. Tsarnaev is guilty, before hearing a single witness or examining a shred of evidence at trial,’’ the defense wrote, according to The Boston Globe.
Judge George O’Toole has rejected two previous requests to move the trial out of Boston. A third attempt, in which defense attorneys appealed to the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was also rejected.
The filing comes the same day the court announced that the beginning of the accused Boston Marathon bomber’s trial would be delayed because of a slower-than-expected process of choosing a jury.
The court said that in the “interest of thoroughness’’ of the ongoing jury selection, the planned start date of January 26 “is not realistic.’’ A new expected start date for case presentation has not been set.
Jury selection began on January 5, and approximately 1,350 prospective jurors filled out a 28-page questionnaire in the ensuing days. Since that initial screening, dozens of potential jurors have been questioned in-person by lawyers and Judge George O’Toole in an attempt to narrow down the pool of qualified jurors.
Tsarnaev faces 30 charges related to the bombing of the Boston Marathon in April 2013, which left four people dead and 260 injured. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
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