MOSCOW, January 22 (Sputnik) — Due to an unexpectedly long process of jury selection, the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is unlikely to begin as previously anticipated on January 26, US District Court indicated Thursday.
The jury selection is taking “longer than originally anticipated,” the Court asserted in a statement, as quoted by the Boston Globe newspaper, and the January 26 date set for the start of the trial is now “not realistic.” The court added that it is not yet possible to name a new start date.
The Boston Marathon bombings, which took place on April 15, 2013, killed three people and injured more than 260. The Tsarnaev brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan were identified as suspects.
Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police four days after the Marathon attack. Dzhokhar faces 30 charges, half of which carry the death penalty. In his first public court appearance, in July, 2013, he pleaded not guilty to all charges put to him.
US District Court Judge George O'Toole Jr., who will oversee the trial, said that should Tsarnaev be convicted, the jury will decide on whether or not to impose a death penalty.
