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---
description: 3 people were killed and 264 were injured in the 2013 bombings
title: Boston Bombing Trial Starts With Defense Lawyer Admitting &#x27;It Was Him&#x27;
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f29770a47f0936a/69878210428a9e0613cc76fa/court-boston.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f29770a47f0936a/69878210428a9e0613cc76fa/court-boston.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)

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# Boston Bombing Trial Starts With Defense Lawyer Admitting 'It Was Him'


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[NBC News](/author/nbc-news/)


## NBC News


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Updated: Dec 15, 2023 5:56 AM CUTPublished: Mar 4, 2015 12:26 PM CUT

![Boston Marathon Bombing](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f29770a47f0936a/69878210428a9e0613cc76fa/court-boston.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Members of the media wait outside federal court on March 4, 2015 in Boston.

Members of the media wait outside federal court on March 4, 2015 in Boston.Michael Dwyer—AP

by 

[NBC News](/author/nbc-news/)


## NBC News


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Updated: Dec 15, 2023 5:56 AM CUTPublished: Mar 4, 2015 12:26 PM CUT

BOSTON — Nearly two years after twin blasts rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon, alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared before a jury Wednesday as a federal prosecutor accused him of believing he was “a soldier in a holy war against Americans” and Tsarnaev’s defense lawyer admitted that “it was him” in surveillance videos dropping a bomb-laden backpack on crowded Boylston Street.

In opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb painted a detailed picture of the moments before the April 15, 2013 attack, with thousands gathered along the race sidelines as a Boston Red Sox game let out. Weinreb also presented a portrait of Tsarnaev as a duplicitous character who kept his violent tendencies secret from his closest friends and mingled among race’s spectators…

[Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boston-marathon-bombing-trial-jury-set-begin-hearing-case-n316251?cid=par-time-article%5F20150304 "undefined")

### Photos: The Last Moments of the Man Hunt for Boston Bombing Suspect

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35340f244177e695/6987782ae53aba1dcb4d6d5c/boston-bomber-capture-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

6:02.14 p.m. Tactical Police Officers converge on the house where 19-year-old Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding at the time of his capture in Watertown, Mass., April 19, 2013. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a31f536b0920773/6987782acd1bbadb126f475c/boston-bomber-capture-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

6:04.55 p.m. Tactical Police Officers get their first view of the boat where Tsarnaev was hiding. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18607cff99fa5aa7/6987782a3c1639fe5d450f7c/boston-bomber-capture-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

6:15.04 p.m. Massachusetts State Police troopers prepare for the final assault on the boat where Tsarnaev was hiding. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc72be27afc79a0d/6987782be53aba01b64d6d62/boston-bomber-capture-04.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:08:59 p.m. The boat containing Tsarnaev. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt472a519e52b57b97/6987782b524fc027d1debb87/boston-bomber-capture-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:29:21 p.m. Tsarnaev, bloody and disheveled, rises out of the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police


![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecb58c19329cc7f2/6987782b0b72e3d1006dcf0a/boston-bomber-capture-06.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:29:38 p.m. Tsarnaev raises his hands. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte628c3554854fbd7/6987782c06f2c13bf033334d/boston-bomber-capture-07.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:31:10 p.m. Tsarnaev stands in the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5cc804b3cb02428/6987782c55a85930cea8512c/boston-bomber-capture-08.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:31:11 p.m. Tsarnaev stands in the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police


![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta23cc95e83c958aa/6987782c55a859344fa85130/boston-bomber-capture-09.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:31:23 p.m. Tsarnaev stands in the boat with the red dot of a rifle's laser sight locked on his head. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt770495eca07ce6df/6987782dcd1bba34206f4760/boston-bomber-capture-10.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:32:10 p.m. Tsarnaev raises his shirt to show that he is not armed or concealing an explosive device. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte49fc24ded4a8342/6987782d0b72e3c7576dcf0f/boston-bomber-capture-11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:33:54 p.m. Tsarnaev begins to step out of the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police


![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f41b6dfad02c849/6987782ecd68486544098ebb/boston-bomber-capture-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:39:48 p.m. Tsarnaev stands in the boat with his hands raised. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt73d28b506d71f89b/6987782ea988ca4cf46abb40/boston-bomber-capture-13.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:39:48 p.m.Tsarnaev stands in the boat with his hands raised. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt782f9bb25f632bb5/6987782e8e0601046b45987a/boston-bomber-capture-14.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:39:59 p.m. Tactical units move in on Tsarnaev to remove him from the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police


![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt661ce2d316a497a6/6987782f06f2c14c75333355/boston-bomber-capture-15.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:40:06 p.m. Tactical units move in on Tsarnaev to remove him from the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a8e3c858c0f83c6/6987782f0b72e375516dcf14/boston-bomber-capture-16.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:40:16 p.m. Tactical units move in on Tsarnaev to remove him from the boat. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11700cebbd0d50ac/6987782fcd1bbab4bd6f4767/boston-bomber-capture-17.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:40:31 p.m. Tactical units remove Tsarnaev from the boat and place him in custody. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police


![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1aea4c2bbefb002/698778300b72e31fa06dcf18/boston-bomber-capture-18.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:46:48 p.m. Tactical units tend to Tsarnaev. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5774bba41d20e3c2/698778305f570f5823b14841/boston-bomber-capture-19.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:46:48 p.m. Tactical units tend to Tsarnaev. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

![Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf6fd07d568c8d980/69877830524fc06ea3debb8f/boston-bomber-capture-20.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

7:49:02 p.m. Medical personnel move Tsarnaev into an ambulance. Sgt. Sean Murphy—Massachusetts State Police

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