MOSCOW, February 26 (RAPSI) – United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts will commence the main hearings of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s case over Boston Marathon bombings on March 4, Boston Herald reported on Wednesday.

The court is expected to hear opening statements of the parties as well as proceed with a formal seating of the juror panel participating in the Tsarnaev’s trial, Bostan Herald reported. Prosecutors and defense lawyers would be able to implement appropriate changes to the juror panel on March 3.

Presiding Judge O’Toole is still waiting for the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on a possibility of moving the trial out of state, a measure which the defendant’s lawyers believe to ensure a fair trial for Tsarnaev, Boston Herald reported.

On the afternoon of April 15, 2013, two explosions occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. IEDs devised from pressure cookers, low explosive powder, shrapnel, adhesive, and other materials were hidden in backpacks that were then placed near metal barricades in areas packed with hundreds of spectators.

Tsarnaev was arrested following a dramatic manhunt during which his brother and co-suspect Tamerlan was killed, as was MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. Tsarnaev was charged on April 21 with the use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.

US prosecutors filed their notice of intent to pursue the death penalty against Tsarnaev on January 30, 2014. The government is seeking the death penalty for the accused.

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 criminal counts.