Two-hundred-and-thirty-five prospective jurors have been questioned in the Boston Marathon Bombing trial. That number brings the court closer to opening statements in the case against the defendant, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Ten additional jurors Friday were asked their personal feelings about the death penalty and their uses of social media, among other questions.
A relative of one potential juror perished in the World Trade Center terrorist attack on 9-11, but she said that she was unsure about voting for the death penalty.
Another prospective juror, an administrative assistant at Harvard, said she struggled with a haunting image from the Marathon Bombing. "The image of him (Tsarnaev) putting the backpack behind that little boy." But she said she believed she could still judge the defendant fairly.
A retired Navy machinist seemed surprised to learn that his Facebook page was of particular interest to the defense. He was questioned about a 2013 posting that has become a mantra of some within the military. It read: "It’s God’s job to judge the terrorists. It’s our mission to arrange the meeting."
Sixty-one jurors so far, with nine more to go, will bring the total needed for the peremptory challenge phase of this case to begin, in which lawyers for the government and the defense are each allowed 23 opportunities to dismiss any juror without cause. Those left standing among 70 will comprise the jury of 12 and 6 alternates plus a few leftovers in the event of a court emergency.
With 235 jurors questioned one on one or voir dire, court officials believe the trial of the US vs Tsarnaev could begin as soon as a week from Monday.
