The massive publicity surrounding the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has not created an impartial jury, a federal appeals panel has ruled.
The ruling paves the way for jury selection and opening statements next week in the high-profile trial, two years after explosions rocked Boston and the nation, according to an Associated Press report.
23 celebrities with hacked photosThe 14 hottest stars in HollywoodIn a 2-1 ruling, the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that a federal judge was right to deny Tsarnaev's requests to move the trial elsewhere.
In the majority opinion, the panel said that the process had been "thorough and appropriately calibrated to expose bias, ignorance, and prevarication," according to the report.
The panel further found that his defense had failed to prove that irreparable harm would be done if the trial remained in Boston. They noted that a high-profile case like this one will receive "significant media attention," but that doesn't mean the jury is prejudiced, and the "heart of the jury selection process" is sorting out the different between knowledge of the event and bias.
The dissenting judge agreed that the intense media coverage would make it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Massachusetts, and that if a change of venue wasn't necessary for this case, "I cannot imagine a case where it would be."
A federal public defender argued Feb. 19 before the appeals court that the local jury pool is intimately connected to the case in many ways, and the attack hit home deeply for everyone in the region. However, an assistant U.S. attorney argued that those with strong opinions had admitted that they had them, allowing the judge to rule them out.
Tsarnaev is accused of setting explosive devices at the Boston Marathon with his older brother, who was later killed, in April 2013. The bombs killed three people and injured 260.
Have something to say? Let us know in the comments section or send an email to the author. You can share ideas for stories by contacting us here.
http://natmonitor.com/2015/02/28/boston-marathon-bomber-trial-finally-set-to-begin-after-panel-rules-jury-not-biased/
