Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's lawyers argued in federal court Wednesday that their client cannot get a fair trial in the state of Massachusetts.
The attorneys for the surviving Boston bombing suspect filed a motion to have his trial moved from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., citing "an overwhelming presumption of guilt" in the state. Tsarnaev's trial is scheduled to begin in November.
Tsarnaev is accused of planting two pressure cooker bombs along with his brother, Tamerlan, near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 260.
The Tsarnaev brothers led authorities on a statewide manhunt that ended five days after the marathon when Dzhokhar was captured while hiding in a boat in Watertown, Mass.
Tamerlan died during a standoff with police in Watertown days after the bombing.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges. He could face the death penalty.
Tsarnaev's lawyers cited the large presence of "Boston Strong" billboards and T-shirts around Massachusetts as a reason to move his trial to D.C.
