Tsarnaev pleads not guilty to 30 counts in bombings

G. Jeffrey MacDonald | Special for USA TODAY

BOSTON — Appearing disheveled and fidgety, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev turned repeatedly to gaze into the crowd that packed a federal courtroom Wednesday to see him plead not guilty to 30 counts charging that he bombed the Boston Marathon.

Watching him were 30 victims of that April bombing and their families, and some people who said they were there to show support for the 19-year-old Russian.

Public defender Judy Clarke tried to enter a single "not guilty" plea on Tsarnaev's behalf and have it apply to all counts in the indictment, but Judge Marianne Bowler said Tsarnaev would speak for himself and all the charges against him would be read aloud.

Flanked by his two attorneys, Tsarnaev said only two words — "not guilty" — and repeated them seven times as prosecutors read the charges. Each of the 30 counts could bring a life-in-prison sentence. Seventeen could make him eligible for the death penalty if the government decides to seek capital punishment.

The charges include using a weapon of mass destruction to kill, in connection with the April 15 attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260. He is also charged in the April 18 slaying of Sean Collier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology security officer.

Tsarnaev seemed unable to sit still in the courtroom. His hair was long and unkempt. He wore a splint on one wrist. His eyes appeared irritated; the skin around them was dark. He displayed a crooked smile to his two sisters. His jaw functioned awkwardly. When he looked over his shoulder at the crowd, he repeatedly shifted his jaw and mouth to the right side of his face.

His voice, however, was strong. Soon after his arrest, there were indications that his throat might have undergone permanent injury in confrontations with police. He spoke with an accent reflective of his ethnic Chechen heritage. He spoke clearly and loudly.

The tense arraignment marked the first time Tsarnaev has appeared in public since he was charged. He was captured April 19, four days after two bombs exploded near the marathon finish line and a day after police released photographs of their suspects and launched a massive manhunt for him and his older brother, Tamerlan.

An overflow crowd started lining up six hours before the hearing, which lasted only nine minutes.

Some in the crowd glared at Tsarnaev when he glanced back to see who was there.

The victims and family members declined to speak to reporters as they left the courthouse.

Several people, however, said they were there in support of Tsarnaev.

Lacey Buckley, an at-home mother from Washington state, said she had traveled across the country to be present at the arraignment. She manages the "Justice for Tamerlan, Rest in Peace" page on Facebook and was wearing a "Free The Lion — July 10" T-shirt with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's picture on it.

"So far, I haven't seen the evidence" that he's guilty, Buckley said. "Why is he charged? Just because a couple of guys had backpacks" near the marathon finish line where two bombs went off?

Mary Churbuck, a Muslim from Freetown, Mass., said she won't believe Tsarnaev is guilty even if a jury convicts him.

"He's not going to get a fair trial," Churbuck said. "This city has already convicted him."

MIT Police Chief John DiFava, who was also in the courtroom, told the Associated Press that Tsarnaev looked "smug."

"I didn't see a lot of remorse," he said. "I didn't see a lot of regret."

DiFava added, "I wanted to see the person that so coldly and callously killed four people, one of whom being an officer of mine."

Security was exceptionally tight all day at the courthouse, which is located on the South Boston waterfront.

The news media presence at the courthouse was much bigger than what it's been for this summer's high-profile racketeering trial of Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. Reporters representing outlets in Russia, France and other countries jockeyed for position.

Observers wondering about Tsarnaev's mental condition or capacity to stand trial shouldn't draw conclusions from his plea, said Chris Dearborn, a criminal law specialist at Suffolk University Law School. "There still could be a mental health defense, and there still could be a mental competency issue," Dearborn said.

In the courtroom, prosecutors said they expect the government to call 80 to 100 witnesses in a trial they expect to last three to four months. A status conference is scheduled for Sept. 23.

No date has been set for a trial.

In Washington, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis complained to a Senate panel that the Justice Department failed to share information on terrorism threats with local officials before the bombing, including Tamerlan Tsarnaev's travel to Russia.

"So when my officers stop (Dzhokhar) Tsarnaev, we're blind to that information," Davis said. "That puts my officers at risk."

Contributing: Donna Leinwand Leger in Washington