Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared in court earlier today to plead not guilty to the 30 charges against him, stemming from the horrible events of April 15, 2013. This was the first time that Tsarnaev has been seen in public since he was arrested after his standoff and shootout with police, and members of his family (above) appeared in court to show their support for him.
Also in the courtroom were family members of the bombing victims, as well as police officers and other law enforcement officials, who all watched as Dzhokhar repeated, “Not guilty” seven times in response to the charges that allege he and his deceased brother, Tamerlan, were responsible for the two bombs that killed three people and injured approximately 260 others. He is also being charged with killing a police officer at MIT.
After he proclaimed his innocence, Dzhokhar reportedly turned to his sisters and smiled.
Both the families of some of the bombing victims and supporters of Dzhokhar’s, including his two sisters, attended the hearing. Top law enforcement officials in Boston also attended.
One of those officials, MIT Police Chief John DiFava told ABC News he was “disgusted” by Dzhokhar’s apparent smirk.
Liz Norden, whose sons Paul and JP each lost a leg in the bombing, told ABC News Tuesday she planned to attend today to stare down “the face of evil.” (Via ABC News)
Dzhokhar’s parents are relegated to watching the trial updates from their home in Dagestan, as his mother, Zubeidat, still has a warrant out for her arrest in Massachusetts for an old shoplifting charge. She has reportedly previously stated that she won’t travel to the U.S. until she knows for certain that she can see Dzhokhar.
It has also been reported that some of Dzhokhar’s “fans” were outside the courthouse to show their support, and if you’re unfamiliar with their deals, this post from Gawker is an interesting read.