Boston Marathon bombing suspect to face court for first time since attack

Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is due to make his first public appearance in 17 months when he steps into court tomorrow for final preparations for his January trial.

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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right) will face a pre-trial hearing for his role in the bombing. He allegedly helped his older brother Tamerlan (left) carry out the attack. Tamerlan died in a police shootout while trying to escape. Photo: AP

Published: 5:15pm, 18 Dec 2014Updated: 5:19pm, 18 Dec 2014

Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is due to make his first public appearance in 17 months when he steps into court tomorrow for final preparations for his January trial.

Tsarnaev, 21, who has pleaded not guilty, faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted for his role in the attack on April 15, last year.

Two pressure cooker bombs, allegedly planted by Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan at the finish line, exploded and left three people dead (including a Chinese graduate student) and 264 wounded. It plunged the world-famous sporting event into mourning and revived domestic fears of terrorism.

On Thursday, prosecutors and defence attorneys are expected to discuss the jury selection process with the judge. Both sides have submitted questions they want the judge to ask potential jurors, who will be selected from a pool of at least 1,200 people.

His trial is due to begin on January 5 and is expected to last several months.

Tsarnaev has not been seen in public since he was arraigned on 30 federal charges in July last year, when he still bore signs of the bloody stand-off with police that led to his capture and the death of his older brother. An injured Dzhokhar was captured while hiding in a boat parked in a suburban backyard in a failed bid to escape.