Condemned Boston Marathon bomber files motion for new trial | KSN

Attorneys for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have filed a motion for a new trial hoping to lift their defendant’s death sentence, The New York Times has reported.

The bombings killed three people and wounded 264 others in one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

At the official sentence hearing at the end of last month, Tsarnaev spoke in court for the first time saying: “I am guilty”.

Tsarnaev also said he prayed to Allah to have mercy on him and his brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a gunfight with police days after twin bombs exploded near the Boston Marathon finish line.

Tsarnaev’s lawyers said the motion was filed following the court’s suggestion at a status conference, as a placeholder to address the court’s concerns about ensuring compliance with time and preservation requirements. Tsarnaev was charged on April 21 with the use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.

REUTERS Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev filed a motion demanding a new trial.

Among the arguments expected to be raised in Tsarnaev’s appeal is the defense contention that the trial should have been moved out of Massachusetts because of the emotional impact the bombing had here. At his sentencing, judge George O’Toole reminded the 21-year-old that he has the right to appeal both his conviction and his sentence.