Winter Storm Juno forces delay in Boston bombing trial

Blizzard hitting the US Northeast caused judge to postpone jury selection

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had denied the multiple charges he faced

As a potentially historic winter storm bears down on the northeastern US, the judge presiding over the federal trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has delayed jury selection while the brutal weather passes.

The storm, which has been dubbed Juno, is expected to dump up to three feet of snow on the region and could be among the worst blizzards ever to hit the area. Judge George O’Toole Jr. said Monday that no jurors would be interviewed on Tuesday ahead of the Boston bombing trial, according to an Associated Press report.

Mr Tsarnaev is being charged with the bombing at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured hundreds more. Mr Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, also allegedly killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police, but Dzokhar escaped into suburban Boston, prompting a massive manhunt that put large swaths of the city under lockdown. Mr Tsarnaev was eventually found hiding inside a boat in a Boston backyard, where he was arrested.

Mr Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Jury selection already has been contentious for Mr Tsarnaev’s upcoming trial. The bombing and subsequent manhunt dominated US news and has made it difficult to find impartial jurors for the case. Jury selection is expected to continue once the blizzard has passed the region.

Follow Payton Guion on Twitter @PaytonGuion.