The trial of the man accused of planting bombs close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon two years ago is under way in the city.
A federal prosecutor said in opening statements on Wednesday that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had “murder in his heart” when he placed the bomb.
Defence lawyers did not deny Mr Tsarnaev’s involvement but argued that he was coerced by his brother.
It was the deadliest terror attack on US soil since 9/11.
Mr Tsarnaev, 21, could face the death penalty and is charged with more than 30 counts including using a weapon of mass destruction.
The left side of the court was filled with about two dozen of the attack’s victims as the trial began.
Three people, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed after two pressure cooker bombs packed with nails, ball bearings and other shrapnel detonated in April 2013.
More than 260 people were injured, with many losing limbs.
Opening statements
The 21-year-old suspect slouched in his chair and stared straight ahead as the prosecutor, William Weinreb, began his opening statement.
Detailing the scene near the finish line just under two years ago, the prosecutor said: “The air was filled with the smell of burning sulphur and people’s screams.”
Mr Weinreb described the backpack bomb that Mr Tsarnaev allegedly planted at the finish as “the type of bombs favoured by terrorists because it’s designed to tear people apart and create a bloody spectacle.”
Among those in attendance were Denise and Bill Richard, whose 8-year-old son, Martin, died in the bombings.
As they looked on, the prosecutor told the jury that Ms Richard watched helplessly as “the bomb tore large chunks of flesh out of Martin Richard”.
The boy had been standing on a metal barrier with other children so that he could better see the runners crossing the finish line.
Heather Abbott, who lost a leg in the attack, sat near the Richard family.
“While victims of the bombing lay in the hospital and learned that they would have to have their limbs chopped off to save their lives, the defendant pretended that nothing had happened,” Mr Weinreb said, noting that Mr Tsarnaev returned to socialise with his friends at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth following the attack.
Mr Tsarnaev is also accused of killing a police officer in the days after the bombing.
A huge police manhunt followed the attacks, culminating in Mr Tsarnaev’s arrest and the death of his elder brother Tamerlan, who was also suspected of the bombings.
Jury wrangling
In the moments before the jury sat, the judge threw out yet another request from Mr Tsarnaev’s lawyers to move the trial outside of Boston. The lawyers have claimed in three previous requests that a fair trail could not take place in the city.
It took the court more than two months to select a jury, in a process that was repeatedly halted by storms and requests to move the trial.
Throughout the selection process, strong security measures were visible. Dozens of police and federal security officers were stationed in and around the courthouse, while armed boats patrolled the nearby harbour.
Over 1,300 potential jurors were considered, with many rejected on the grounds they had already made their minds up about Mr Tsarnaev’s guilt, or were not willing to vote for execution if he is found guilty – something prosecutors are pushing for.
They are expected to argue that his elder brother was the driving force behind the attack.
But the prosecution will argue that the brothers – both ethnic Chechens – set off the bombs as an act of retaliation against the US for its military action in Muslim countries.
They plan to show jurors panels of the boat which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found by police in, where he had allegedly scrawled anti-US messages.
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Source: BBC