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Suspected Boston Marathon Bomber Wants Statements Thrown Out


A photograph of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on his profile page for the Russian social-networking site Vkontakte (VK), as pictured on a monitor and a mobile phone in St. Petersburg, April 19, 2013.
A photograph of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on his profile page for the Russian social-networking site Vkontakte (VK), as pictured on a monitor and a mobile phone in St. Petersburg, April 19, 2013.
Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev say statements he made to authorities at a hospital after his arrest should be thrown out of court on grounds that his constitutional rights were violated.

The lawyers argued on May 7 that Tsarnaev was improperly questioned without a lawyer for more than 36 hours as he recovered from serious gunshot wounds and "begged for rest."

Tsarnaev's lawyers also asked a federal judge to declare the federal death penalty unconstitutional in the case because Massachusetts does not permit it.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Tsarnaev is convicted of killing three people and injuring more than 260 with bombs during the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Tsarnaev's older brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan, was killed in a confrontation with police.
Based on reporting by AP and "The Boston Globe"

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