Rulings Expected Soon On Tsarnaev Trial Delay, Venue Change
BOSTON (AP) — A judge on Thursday said he expects to rule soon on whether to move Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial out of Massachusetts and whether to delay it by almost a year.
Judge George O'Toole Jr. rejected a request from Tsarnaev's lawyers to hold a hearing on whether to move the trial. The judge said he will decide the defense's change of venue motion based on legal briefs already filed by Tsarnaev's lawyers and federal prosecutors.
Tsarnaev's lawyers argued again that they need more time to prepare for Tsarnaev's trial, which is now scheduled to begin Nov. 3. The defense has asked to delay the trial until at least Sept. 2015.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
Tsarnaev's Lawyers Seek Venue Change
A prosecutor told O'Toole that the government has been turning over reams of evidence to the defense since soon after the April 2013 bombings and a delay is not necessary.
Tsarnaev, 21, has pleaded not guilty in the attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty.
Prosecutors allege that Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, detonated two pressure-cooker bombs near the marathon's finish line. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police several days after the bombings.
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