USA - Massachusetts. The trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is set to begin today with opening statements in federal court in Boston

The trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is set to begin today with opening statements in federal court in Boston, the start of what could be the most complete official recounting yet of the Boston Marathon bombings that forever changed the city nearly two years ago. US District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. completed the nearly two-month-long process of seating 12 jurors and six alternates yesterday morning, and defense lawyers appeared ready for a trial in which they will present Tsarnaev as a reluctant participant in the fatal bombings. The defense lawyers’ goal: to save him from the death penalty. Tsarnaev, 21, faces 30 charges in connection with twin bombings at the finish line of the marathon April 15, 2013. 3 people were killed and more than 260 were injured. He is also charged in the killing of Sean Collier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days after the bombings. If the jury convicts Tsarnaev, the trial will move on to a 2nd phase to determine his punishment. The only 2 options available for the jury are life in prison or the death penalty. During the jury selection process, Tsarnaev's lawyers tried repeatedly to get the trial moved out of Massachusetts, saying he could not find a fair and impartial jury because of the emotional impact the bombings had in the state. O'Toole rejected 3 change-of-venue motions, saying the process of carefully questioning jurors to detect bias was successful in finding impartial jurors. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals twice refused to order the trial moved.