In front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler, in the crowded courtroom, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty. This was his first court appearance since he was found in Watertown, Boston, in a suburban backyard, hiding out in a boat. He was found four days after the Boston Marathon bombing. In a crowded courtroom, Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty. There is a chance that he will face the death penalty for using a weapon of mass destruction.
Outside of the courtroom, more than a dozen MIT police officers in uniform stood at attention. During the arraignment, they honored their colleague Sean Collier, who was killed by Tsarnaev’s brother Tamerlan. Collier was in his car when the brothers attempted to take his firearm. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chief of Police John DiFava came to the courthouse to see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. DiFava commented, “I wanted to take a look at this guy. He’s a punk. He’s a typical bad guy.” The Chief of Police favors the death penalty for Tsarnaev. “The man deserves to die if he’s found guilty,” DiFava said.
Victims in the courtroom responded when they saw Tsarnaev. According to Bloomberg, the uncle of two brothers in their 20s who both lost their right legs in the bombing said he believed he saw Tsarnaev “smirk” in the courtroom. “I thought maybe he would come in with a different attitude, maybe look a little different but he didn’t,” said Peter Brown, uncle of J.P. and Paul Norden of Wakefield, Massachusetts. The mother of the two injured men, Liz Norden, said seeing the bombing suspect left her drained. “I actually felt sick to my stomach. It’s really emotional.”
Tsarnaev is charged with killing two women and an 8 year old boy and injuring 260 people on April 15. He is also charged with the point blank killing of police officer Sean Collier. After the Boston Marathon bombing, pictures of him and his brother Tamerlan near the bomb sites were released by the FBI. According to the prosecution, before the authorities had identified the brothers, the Tsarnaevs were recognized by their friends.
It was found that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s personal computer had instructions for making bombs with pressure cookers and powder from fireworks. He also had al-Qaeda and jihad related files. According to the indictment, he wrote notes saying that while Islam condemns murder, the bombing was justified because of the actions of the U.S. government. As the case continues, more information will come to light, and we will see the justice process open the ways for the case’s conclusion. The case is U.S. v. Tsarnaev, 13-10200, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.