Crime & Safety

Marathon Bombing Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was arraigned in federal court in Boston on Wednesday.

The man accused of bombing the Boston Marathon was arraigned in federal court today on 30 charges including including charges of using weapons of mass destruction and murder. Seventeen of the charges carry a potential death penalty sentence. 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, appeared before Judge Marianne B. Bowler at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston on Wednesday afternoon. 

Tsarnaev appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit that was unbuttoned, and a cast on his left arm. 

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As the 30 charges against him were read, Tsarnaev's defense attorneys, Miriam Conrad and Judy Clarke, noted he would be pleading "Not Guilty" on all charges. 

Judge Bowler asked Tsarnaev to stand and enter his plea himself.

Standing at the microphone, in a slight accent, Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges as they were read in several groups. 

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Tsarnaev appeared to fidget throughout the appearance, touching the left side of his chin, which appeared to be disfigured. 

30 victims or family members of victims were present in the courtroom, as well as some of Tsarnaev's family members, including his sisters. 

The prosecution said they would call to the stand as many as 80-100 witnesses, and the trial could take up to four months. 

Judge Bowler continued the hearing to September 23rd at 10 a.m. 

Wedensday's arraignment was Tsarnaev's first court appearance since his arrest on April 19, after a 24-hour-long standoff with police. After his arrest, he was held in a hospital to recuperate from wounds sustained during his capture and was later transported to a military prison in Fort Devens. 

Dzhokhar and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed during a confrontation with police in Watertown on April 19, are alleged to have created a pair of bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line April 15 killing three and wounding hundreds. Dzhokhar has also been charged in the death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. 


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