Tsarnaev’s lawyers seek to move trial to Washington

Associated Press

BOSTON

Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have asked to move his upcoming trial from Boston, proposing Washington, D.C., as the new location.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court late Wednesday, Tsarnaev’s public defenders said a survey of potential jurors in Boston, Springfield, New York City and Washington suggests the nation’s capital would be a more suitable location for a trial.

The lawyers, who cautioned that they still need more time to study the issue, said Boston residents were the “most prejudiced” on a number of critical measures, based on the May survey’s preliminary findings.

Among Boston respondents aware of the case, they said, nearly 58 percent “definitely” believed Tsarnaev was guilty and 37 percent believed that if convicted he deserved the death penalty.