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Boston bombing suspect seen for the first time since 2013

G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Special for USA TODAY
In this courtroom sketch, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is depicted sitting in federal court in Boston Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, for a final hearing before his trial begins in January. Tsarnaev is charged with the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story indicated an MIT security officer was killed during the Boston manhunt. The victim was an MIT police officer.

BOSTON — A tense court hearing with the first public appearance by the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in more than a year turned emotional when a supporter of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev yelled words of encouragement in Russian as frustrated victims of the terror attack looked on.

Tsarnaev, 21, was in court for the final hearing before his trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 5. Prosecutors and defense attorneys discussed logistics for the trial, which is expected to last several months.

U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. said he plans to rule on pending motions in coming days. David Bruck, one of Tsarnaev's attorneys, told the judge the defense plans to file a motion to delay the trial.

Moments after the judge ended the hearing, the courtroom exploded when a friend of the Tsarnaev family, Elena Teyer, stood up and yelled in Russian, "Dzhokhar, we know you're innocent. There are so many of us supporting you here. We pray for you. Be strong, son."

Teyer is the mother-in-law of Ibragim Todashev, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's friend who was killed during questioning by an FBI agent. Todashev allegedly attacked the agent, who then shot him.

As law enforcement officers quickly escorted her out, Teyer ended her cry with a message in English for the federal justice system.

"Stop killing innocent people," she said. "Stop killing innocent boys."

Outside the courthouse, she translated what she told Tsarnaev. She said the federal government is prosecuting him to make Muslims look bad.

A group of protestors hold signs in front of the John Joseph Moakley US Federal Courthouse on December 18, 2014 in Boston Massaschusetts. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused of carrying out the deadly 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, attended a court hearing today, in his first public appearance in 17 months, before his trial begins in January.  The 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges related to the  twin bombings during the April 2013 Boston Marathon that left three dead and more than 250 injured.

Tsarnaev never flinched or acknowledged the shouts.

Some of the 30 or so victims and their families, who sat quietly during the proceedings, were upset by the outburst.

"It's infuriating," said Karen Brassard, who suffered shrapnel wounds in the first explosion and still has no feeling in her lower right leg. "We're all struggling to keep it together and not get overly emotional. To have somebody else go ahead and do it -- it's frustrating."

At the marathon, Brassard was in a group of seven who had clustered on Boylston Street to watch the finish. Six of them sustained major injuries in the first explosion, including her husband, Ron, and daughter, Krystara. Ron Brassard suffered a severed artery and lost a section of his calf. Krystara has undergone several surgeries, including one last month, to remove shrapnel from her lower body.

Brassard was one of 14 victims of the attacks who attended Thursday's hearing and sat together on one side of the gallery.

Tsarnaev is charged in a 30-count indictment that alleges he conspired with his late older brother, Tamerlan, to build and detonate two pressure-cooker bombs that left three people dead and more than 260 injured near the crowded finish line of last year's Boston Marathon. He i also charged in the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, who died during the manhunt. Tsarnaev, who has pleaded not guilty, faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.

Boston Marathon bombing victim Marc Fucarile, right, leaves federal court in Boston, with his wife Jen, center, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, after a hearing for bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev is charged with carrying out the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Security was tight and the courtroom was packed as people strained to be the first to get a look at Tsarnaev.

He gave a small, seemingly nervous, smile to his lawyers as he entered the courtroom. He had a scruffy beard and a mop-head of wavy, uncombed hair. He wore a black sweater and open-necked collared shirt.

O'Toole asked him four questions, inquiring whether he had elected to be absent in prior status conferences and whether his lawyers had kept him informed of the proceedings.

"Yes sir," Tsarnaev said.

O'Toole asked if he has been satisfied with his legal representation.

"Very much," Tsarnaev said. When O'Toole asked if he would like a private meeting with him to discuss his representation, Tsarnaev declined.

A beefed-up police presence included a line of police vehicles at the front of the courthouse entrance. In back, a Boston Police boat with blue lights flashing kept watch in Boston Harbor. Boston Police Special Operations members patrolled on foot with dogs.

Thursday's hearing was the last chance Tsarnaev's lawyers had to ask the judge for new ground rules for the trial. They recently filed a new motion seeking, for the second time, to have the trial moved out of Boston, where they fear their client will not be treated fairly.

Defense lawyers previously said the trial should be moved to Washington, D.C.

O'Toole also rejected a defense request that prosecutors turn over evidence about his older brother's possible participation in a 2011 triple killing in suburban Waltham, Mass.

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. Seating a jury alone could take several weeks to a month.

When last seen in July 2013, Tsarnaev still had visible injuries from a shootout with police several days after the April 15, 2013, bombings. His left arm was in a cast and his face was swollen. The injuries followed a bloody standoff with police that led to his capture and the death of his brother Tamerlan.

Three friends of Tsarnaev were convicted this year of hampering the investigation by removing evidence from his dorm room or lying to the FBI.

Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev were convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice for removing a backpack containing fireworks and other potential evidence while authorities were still looking for the suspected bombers. Another friend, Robel Phillipos, was convicted of lying to federal agents about being in the room. All three are awaiting sentencing.

Contributing: Marisol Bello in McLean, Va., and the Associated Press

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