Opening statements in the trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set for Wednesday . After two months of jury selection , a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates was seated Tuesday for the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev . The all-white panel included 10 men and eight women , 12 of whom will vote on Tsarnaev 's fate at the end of a trial expected to wrap up in June . Six will serve as alternates . Opening statements in the case are scheduled for Wednesday . Tsarnaev , 21 , faces 30 charges in connection with twin bombings at the finish line of the marathon April 15 , 2013 . Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured . He is also charged in the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days after the bombings . If the jury convicts Tsarnaev , the trial will move on to a second phase to determine his punishment . The only two options available for the jury are life in prison or the death penalty . Judge George O'Toole Jr. , prosecutors and Tsarnaev 's lawyers questioned prospective jurors individually . Many potential jurors were excused when they said they had already formed an opinion on Tsarnaev 's guilt or were morally opposed to the death penalty . Many others were dismissed because of personal connections to the bombings , including people who have friends or family who were near the finish line when the bombs went off or who knew first responders who treated victims . 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 three 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 . The jury selection process began in early January when more than 1,350 potential jurors filled out questionnaires on their ties to the attack and their views on the death penalty . To be eligible to serve , candidates needed not to have formed a set opinion of Tsarnaev 's guilt and to be willing to consider voting for execution if he was found guilty . Tsarnaev 's lawyers last week asserted that the court had violated its own procedures about random selection , reordering jurors as they arrived in a way that reduced the number of black candidates questioned . Tsarnaev 's attorneys on Monday offered a possible glimpse into their strategy when they argued that they need to be able to discuss the defendant 's relationship with his older brother , Tamerlan , early in the trial . They described 26-year-old Tamerlan , who died following a gun battle with police three days after the bombing , as the driving force behind the attack , saying that his younger brother participated out of submissiveness . Tsarnaev 's attorneys ( pictured right ) on Monday offered a possible glimpse into their strategy when they argued that they need to be able to discuss the defendant 's relationship with his older brother , Tamerlan , ( left ) early in the trial .
Opening statements in the case are scheduled for Wednesday in Boston , Massachusetts . The all-white panel included 10 men and eight women , 12 of whom will vote on Tsarnaev 's fate at the end of a trial expected to wrap up in June . Tsarnaev , 21 , faces 30 charges in connection with twin bombings at the finish line of the marathon April 15 , 2013 .