Thursday morning, Dec. 18, marked the first time in more than a year that Dzokhar Tsarnaev stood before a federal judge in a Boston courtroom. He was asked to appear in person so it could be put on the record that he is satisfied with his representation ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 5. The last time Tsarnaev was seen in public was when he pled not guilty to at least 30 charges in a terrorism indictment that was in connection to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured 260.
As it stands now, Tsarnaev's trial is set to begin in a few weeks and is expected to last between three and five months. While Massachusetts no longer has the death penalty on the table, Tsarnaev is facing federal charges, which do carry death as a possible punishment. Insiders seem to believe that even if the 21-year-old is sentenced to death, it is unlikely he will ever be executed.
According to The New York Times, Tsarnaev wore a dark sweater and trousers when taking his place in a courtroom packed with FBI, law enforcement, bombing survivors and various members of the media. He seemed to be in good spirits while talking with his defense team, which had originally tried to have the trial moved to a different location in the country.
That request was rejected, so on Jan. 5 the difficult task of trying to seat an impartial jury will begin.
Do you think it is possible to give Tsarnaev a fair trial in Boston, where so many people were directly affected by the bombing he has been charged with? What do you remember about that day? Were you in Boston at that time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
