Judge Decides That Recent Attacks in Paris Will Not Delay Jury Selection in Alleged Boston Marathon Bomber's Trial

The process will proceed as planned.

A federal judge has decided that the jury selection process in the trial for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will proceed as scheduled. Tsarnaev's lawyers had pushed to suspend the process in light of the recent terror attacks in Paris. 

The Associated Press reports that attorneys for Tsarnaev claimed that the incidents in Paris have framed their client's alleged actions in a way that would make it difficult for potential jurors to view the case in an objective manner: 


Tsarnaev's lawyers argued in a motion filed Tuesday that the French terror attacks had placed the marathon bombings at the center of a grim global drama. They said delaying jury selection would allow some time for the extraordinary prejudice flowing from these events - and the comparison of those events to those at issue in this case - to diminish.


Judge George O'Toole Jr. denied the motion Wednesday, writing that his review of jury questionnaires filled out last week "has so far confirmed, rather than undermined, my judgment that a fair and impartial jury can and will be chosen to determine the issues in this case.

Tsarnaev has been indicted on 30 counts for allegedly taking part in the attack which killed three people and injured 260 in April 2013. He pleaded not guilty to all charged last July.

The jury selection process began earlier this year, and the review of individual jurors will commence tomorrow. 

[via Associated Press]

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