Boston Bombing Court Case: Defense Lawyer Judy Clarke Admits ‘It Was Him,’ Dzhokhar Tsarnaev [VIDEO]
It has been nearly two years since the bombing happened during the Boston Marathon and the trial of suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev opened Wednesday.
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USA Today reported that the trial for Tsarnaev began today and his defense lawyer Judy Clarke admitted, "It was him."
Clarke pleaded with a federal jury to approach the case with an open mind and suggested Tsarnaev's brother, Tamerlan, was the mastermind behind the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260.
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The trial began with opening statements from both sides in a courtroom packed with victims, family members, media and members of the public.
The Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb went first, describing a bloody scene of much carnage, perpetrated by a cowardly bomber when twin bombs' blasts rocked a crowded street near the finish line.
"The defendant's goal that day was to maim and kill as many victims as possible," Weinreb said, adding, "He believed that he was a soldier in a holy war against Americans. He believed he had taken a step toward reaching paradise. That was his motive for committing these crimes."
Weinreb added that 21-year-old Tsarnaev "believed the United States government is the enemy of Muslim people."
Tsarnaev faces 30 charges in connection with blasts. He is also charged in the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days after the bombings. 17 of the counts carry the death penalty.
Clarke acknowledged her client was involved in the "senseless, horribly misguided acts carried out by two brothers - 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev."
"It was Tamerlan Tsarnaev who self-radicalized," Clarke said. "It was Dzhokhar who followed."
Judge George O'Toole told Clarke prior to opening statements that she could not focus on Tamerlan's influence over her client and was therefore cut off twice when she pressed the issue with jury.
