Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, faces the death penalty if convicted in federal court in Boston for detonating two homemade bombs in a throng of spectators at the race’s finish line on April 15, 2013.
He was arrested four days after the bombing. His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, also a suspect in the blasts, was killed during a shootout with police.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared in court before the first batch of some 1,200 prospective jurors who were summoned to the US District Court in Boston. Judge George O'Toole and lawyers will eventually choose 12 jurors to hear evidence in a trial that could last as long as five months.
Media reports also suggested that lawyers would attempt to move proceedings from Boston to another city in the United States to ensure greater fairness in the trial, as Tsarnaev’s lawyers were concerned over an emotionally charged atmosphere in Boston might have an impact on the process.
Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges against him for his role in the attack.
