Boat panels at issue in Boston trial

Brothers Tamerlan (left) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Photos: Lowell Sun and the FBI

Brothers Tamerlan (left) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Photos: Lowell Sun and the FBI

Published Mar 2, 2015

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Boston - Prosecutors want panels of the boat in which Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding to be brought to court to show jurors what they say is his written confession.

But Tsarnaev's attorneys object to the plan and want the jury instead to go see the boat intact.

The issue was argued Monday during a final pretrial hearing. Opening statements in Tsarnaev's federal death penalty trial are scheduled for Wednesday.

Prosecutors have said Tsarnaev scrawled the motive for the 2013 deadly attack inside the boat. They say he referred to US wars in Muslim countries and wrote, “Stop killing our innocent people and we will stop.”

Tsarnaev's lawyers also asked the judge to limit “highly disturbing” autopsy photos of the three who died in the bombings.

Sapa-AP

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