The trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev begins in earnest Wednesday, with opening statements in a capital trial that's expected to last several months. It took nearly two months to seat a jury.
The 18 jurors (including 6 alternates) will hear and see what prosecutors say is irrefutable evidence that Tsarnaev, 21, should be sentenced to death for his role in the notorious twin bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260, as well as in the events that followed, in which a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was also killed.
Tsarnaev faces 30 charges over those events in April of 2013. If he's found guilty, he'll be punished with either a death sentence or life in prison.
From Boston, NPR's Tovia Smith reports:
The jury has been under close scrutiny, with some potential members excused because they said they are morally opposed to the death penalty — and others excused because they said they wouldn't be able to keep an open mind in the case.
The case is being tried in a federal court in Boston, under Judge George O'Toole Jr., despite several efforts by the defense team to move the trial.
Member station WBUR reports:
WBUR also has details about the jury, which was selected from a pool of more than 1,300 potential jurors. They range from a college student to a former nurse, from a restaurant manager to a legal executive.
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