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AS SOME PROSPECTIVE jurors got their first look at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the young man accused of bombing the renowned Boston Marathon, it became clear that choosing a jury in the closely watched terror case would not be a quick or simple process.
US District Judge George O’Toole Jr. told the first 400 people called for jury duty yesterday that choosing a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates for the highly anticipated trial was expected to take at least three weeks.
He told the potential jurors not to think of the trial as “an annoying burden,” but as a needed service and an “important duty of citizenship.”
Tsarnaev is accused of planning and carrying out the twin bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others near the marathon’s finish line on 15 April, 2013.
Prosecutors say Tsarnaev and his brother, now dead, also killed an MIT police officer several days after the bombings as they tried to flee.
Federal prosecutors and Tsarnaev’s lawyers are beginning the process of trying to find jurors who can be fair and impartial. Jurors must also be willing, if Tsarnaev is convicted, to consider imposing the death penalty in a state that abolished its own death penalty three decades ago. Tsarnaev is being tried under the federal death penalty.
Defence lawyers have asked repeatedly that the trial be moved from Boston, where the bombings had a deep emotional impact. O’Toole has refused so far.
Potential jurors on Monday seemed transfixed by the sight of the shaggy-haired 21-year-old, staring at him intently when he walked in and when he was introduced by the judge.
Tsarnaev, for his part, rose to his feet and nodded, slightly and awkwardly, as he was introduced to the first group of about 200 citizens. He looked at the floor when introduced to a second group of 200.
Security was tight, with dozens of police officers stationed inside and outside the federal courthouse, along with bomb-sniffing dogs.
The first two groups of potential jurors filled out juror questionnaires, which will be used to whittle down an overall pool of about 1,200 people. Another 800 also will be asked to fill out questionnaires on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tsarnaev’s lawyers, prosecutors and the judge will begin questioning individual jurors next week.
O’Toole said testimony is expected to begin 26 January and last three to four months.
The trial is perhaps the most scrutinised terror case in the U.S. since Timothy McVeigh was convicted and executed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Heather Abbott, of Newport, Rhode Island, who lost her left leg below the knee in the Boston attack, said she plans to attend some of the proceedings. She said her biggest question may be an unanswerable one: Why?
“Why he would want to do this to people … it’s really hard to understand,” Abbott said.
In Russia, the father of the Tsarnaev brothers again expressed the family’s distrust of the U.S. legal system. Recently, one of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s sisters pleaded guilty in Boston to misleading police during a counterfeiting investigation.
“All the information that can refute the allegations against my sons is on the Internet,” Anzor Tsarnaev said by telephone from Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
“I still have children in America and I am afraid for them. As you all know, they also caused problems for my younger daughter with fabricated allegations. Who knows what they could do with my other children?”
Prosecutors say Dzhokhar and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev — ethnic Chechens who had lived in the United States for about a decade — carried out the bombings in retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries. Tamerlan, 26, died in a gunbattle with police days after the bombings.
The defence is expected to argue that Dzhokhar had a difficult childhood and fell under the evil influence of his older brother.
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So we can comment on this but comments are blocked on the allegations about “prince” Andrews involvement in a paedophile ring.
Running scared of the royal lawyers Journal?
I made tahat point the other day and told thry wont leave people comment on ongoing cases yet here we are commenting on a case strange that is huh!
All the evidence in the world to say he wasn’t responsible and still on trail this is a joke set up big time poor bloke probably still doesn’t know what happened it was a false flag mission set up to look like a terrorist attack so the world will condone Americas war of terror I mean war on terror
You’re right. Instead of having a public trial they should take the word of a few Internet headers and free him. Sure you guys have all the evidence and are always right. Right?
Get the boat wud ye!!
No one is always right but if you do a bit of research and not just believe main stream media you might be able to form your own opinion and not just go with what your told have you even followed the story if so you would see all the inconsistencies and also the fbi following them all day and the fact that the backpack wasnt theirs just do some research before commenting on whats happening
The ‘Zio-States’ have perfected the art of the false flag operation, those lads were set up from the start. They have the media and they have the soft-power propaganda machine of Hollywood in their pocket to create the narrative. Interesting coincidence that this trial of a russian national for terrrorist offences comes at a time of intense Russia-bashing, setting the mindset with the programmed public for ramping up the aggression towards the Russians. Get ready for the fascist new world order folks, they have the resources, the time and the intent.
“All the information that can refute the allegations against my sons is on the internet”.
And there’s the problem right there. If it has any substance it will be admissible as evidence in court, if not its just more meaningless online drivel from bloggers and nutters.
I hope for you and your family he is set free! Also very sorry for your loss
Sean – Can you give me one shred of evidence to back up anything you just said? Just one piece of hard evidence. Surely some must exist.
Call it a hunch @BillyBob. Unfortunately I don’t have the time or the resources, but a hear Google can be of help if you want to do a bit of free-lance research..
Sean we both know hes a dick with no ground to stand on he just repeats wat main stream media tells him hes probably beleives Iraq had wmds
Sean, Tsarnaev is a Chechen muslim – you may have missed it but Russia has been fighting them for the past couple of decades. If the US wanted a show trial to whip up anti-Russian feeling, putting one of their enemies on trial is a strange way to do it.
@Avina.. Correct me if I’m wrong but is it not the case that the current middle-east mayhem is the direct result of US political elite selling the lie through their fear mongering media that Saddam Hussein had WMD’s and that an attack on the US was imminent? He was no angel but they blatantly falsely associated him with the heinous 911 attacks to justify regime change. The corporate ‘news’ media over there will no doubt find some tenuous link between the Tsarnaevs and Putin to justify pushing regime change in another country that isn’t yet under its influence.. False flag, it’s a means to an end for these psychos..
Bit confused, what are the protests about?
Just Frank and a few of his friends!
Had a bit of a research myself, the whole thing does look a bit shady, especially with the man who allegedly lost his leg. Google it.
Good man darren nothing like research to help find the facts could you link it to billybob he has some trouble doing thing for himself the numpty!
Reg_ You should know by now that I would not be allowed into the United States unless Declan Noonan could pull a few ropes.
http://www.tomatobubble.com/boston_bomb_hoax.html Here you go Shane. Personally I Hate conspiracies but it looks very fake, especially the blood that is clearly paint.
I see it before myself its billybob that needs the help I recommend any1 who thinks they did it to look at it casted isn’t the word
Darren Turner_ here is another mistake picked up on Euronews.
It shows a guy from the props department emptying a bag of special effects dust powder over the crowd 20 seconds in.
All the evidence of a set up is there but people believe what their told
Darren,
The pesky US Government, making fun of us all by even getting Spielberg to direct and have a cameo roll.
That’s the best one I’ve seen yet.
You think with stakes as high as a false flag operation, they could have written that little cameo appearance out of the script, asking to be found out so they were.
How do you suppose they keep all these ‘actors’ quiet, there seems to be loads of them.
Oh that Speilberg part was absolutely ridiculous alright. Some of it was interesting enough though.
Money promises of power and they also set up the actors for something and if they dont comply jail or death its control and most people in movies would sell their soul for money and fame so don’t be to surprised by anything they do self interest is a great motivator!
Sorry Darren, that website is laughable. I can pick a dozen holes in all its points. The blood clearly looks like paint? As someone who has witnessed, first hand, an accident which involved the loss of a limb, I can confirm that is what blood looks like when spread out on the concrete. Regardless of that however, if this was a conspiracy why in gods name would they use red paint or fake blood??? There’s plenty of ways to obtain the real thing!
“Where is the rest of his leg?” It asks. Check the bottom left corner of the photo I say.
Something I always wonder with these theories of staged events with actors etc…
Why would they need actors if there actually was an explosion. Or was that a fake explosion as well?
Watch this video in its entirety, please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q_QXt9EasY
Watch this video in its entirety, please. This guy has some great videos deconstructing the event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q_QXt9EasY
“Shaggy-haired”? Are you trying to make a terrorist sound endearing?
It’s amazing that so many commenters will defend a tried and tested terrorist
Tried and tested? Where do u get your info? The American government? The same people that did 911 blamed Iraq invaded their country raped their resources and then went to Libya and did the same there and have released numerous declassified documents to state they ingage in false flag missions all over the world? Wake up to yourself
Where are you getting your info? Alex Jones? Do you even realise how laughable you conspiracy nuts are? Lol, you actually believe the illuminati is out to get you.
Here billybob do you no wat conspiracy means? When theirs facts involved conspiracy gos out the window the only conspiracy was the 1 the American government set up to run a false flag mission and set up innocent people for it! If its not in the journal its not true is it? Ignorance is bliss as they say
Jimminy BillyBob_ a tried a tested Nothing.
There is more holes and dependencies in the Boston Bombing than a lump of Swiss Cheese.
Theres something very dogey about this case Nothing is as it seems. U cant trust the American government
Probably the fact it was an inside job and this poor bloke is the fall guy he should be dead remember all the bullets they pumped into the boat he was hiding in and the look on the fbi faces when he got out unharmed and with no weapon think about it it was set up
Don’t think too hard, Shane. The illuminati can read your thoughts, reemember?
Your looking for evidence just look it up instead of getting people to do it for you you think im wrong fair enough but ive given u enough info such as the backpack bn followed by the fbi the fact they tried to kill him and u still want proof what happened to reasonable doubt? Your a dick and ignorant to all facts and make your mind up solely on main stream media grow up be a man and have your own views after looking at what facts are available! Now you prove me wrong here all day
No bullets were pumped into the boat. Stun grenades were used and the suspect climbed out with injuries he had sustained in the firefight his brother was killed in. NEXT!
Haha did u c the boat? Nice of the feds to release a statement confirming how his injuries were sustained and the bullet holes in the boat were there all the time ventilation ya know
Oh and u said firefight which would imply the brothers shot at them to where were the weapons and was any1 hurt in the ‘firefight’ besides the brother that died?
The gun, which one of the brothers is photographed pointing at the police from behind the SUV, was recovered.
Oh amazing they got that picture cameras everywhere and we only c the 1s they want u to c not to sure about that 1 will check it out though
Pointing r shooting? Do u no if theres an allegations of photoshoping the pic?
Just look up a bit of that first they had 3 guns 200 rounds of ammo and 1 of the guns was a machine gun and then it went to they had a gun each and the brother in the boat shot at police first then he had no gun and only the other brother had 1 only hes not here to deny it they killed him I smell a set up still
It’s called sensationalist reporting in chaotic situations. Media tend to report every rumour as fact as the situation is occurring without much effort being applied to sort fact from fiction. There was never any machines guns or arsenal to speak of. What happened was that every officer from multiple jurisdictions all converged on the scene from multiple directions and started firing. Individual officers when speaking to reporters after said it seemed like machine gun fire but really it was friendly fire. Sounds like your gripe should be with lazy reporters not government agendas.
Then how come in a proper podium press conference the lead fbi said they had heavy weapons and the guy in the boat shot first with no weapon thats amazing so keep reading main stream media and believe it its easier and less scary to believe sure the planes knocked down the twin towers???????
Heavy weapons such as homemade grenades and pressure cooker bombs? Yep they had those.
But once again you are dealing with a very confusing situation where press and public are constantly demanding info and press updates. You do realise that you had 4 or 5 different police forces involved on the scene (Cambridge police, MIT police, Watertown police, state police, SWAT), all trying to be the hero and answering to different commanders…it was chaos. I would say that it would be stranger if in all the confusing no misinformation was delivered to the press.
How you go from this to government conspiracy is really all about you and your conformation bias.
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