Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Want “Supporters” Controlled by Court Officials

Defense attorneys say demonstrations could threaten the accused Boston Marathon bomber's right to a fair trial

Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev want court officials to control demonstrations by people who call themselves supporters of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.

In a motion filed on Monday, defense attorneys said the demonstrations could threaten Tsarnaev's right to a fair trial. They are asking the federal judge presiding over the case to direct U.S. Marshals to take "reasonable measures" to keep the demonstrators away from entrances to the Boston courthouse and away from prospective jurors, witnesses and survivors of the 2013 attack that killed three and injured more than 260 others.

Some so-called "supporters," according to the filing, have espoused government conspiracy theories to explain the bombing and suggested that the injuries were faked.

Defense attorneys said any inference that the defendant agrees with the demonstrators would be false. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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