Bearded 'Boston bomber' Dzhokhar Tsarnaev smiles as he appears in court while one of his supporters is dragged from the room screaming 'don't kill an innocent boy' Tsarnaev is believed to have organized the bombings at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, along with older brother Tamerlan Appeared in federal court on Monday for pre-trial hearing attended by over a dozen survivors and victims' families If convicted, he faces the possibility of the death penalty Reporters in the room wrote that Tsarnaev looked and acted casual but was respectful when talking with the judge and his defense team Woman was kicked out of the gallery for yelling 'don't kill an innocent boy' Small group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse holding up signs in support of Tsarnaev By ASHLEY COLLMAN FOR MAILONLINE With wild hair and a new beard, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared in court this morning for the first time in more than a year, smiling at his lawyers as he took his place before a gallery full of Boston Marathon bombing survivors and victims' families. The emotional but brief hearing was punctuated by a woman being dragged out of the gallery screaming 'don't kill an innocent boy' and words of encouragement to the suspect in Russian. The 21-year-old stands accused of detonating twin bombs at the marathon's finish line in April 2013, killing three and injuring more than 260, with his brother Tamerlan who was later killed in a shootout with police. Tsarnaev wore a black sweater, white shirt and green pants to the hearing, and appeared to have healed since the last time he was seen in public. At his July 2013 arraignment, Tsarnaev's face was still battered and he was wearing a cast on his arm from injuries sustained in his dramatic arrest. Scroll down for video The trial begins: Boston bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev attended a pre-trial hearing Thursday morning, which marked the first time he's been seen in public since July 2013. A sketch of the accused 21-year-old in court on Thursday shows he has a new beard Leaving the building: A motorcade carrying Tsarnaev rolls away from federal court in Boston on Thursday after the brief pre-trial hearingReporters in the room for the hearing wrote that Tsarnaev looked and acted casual, but was respectful to the judge and attentive to his defense attorneys. A group of 14 Boston Marathon survivors sat together on one side of the gallery to witness the event. Tsarnaev faces 30 charges related to the bombings, and if convicted, he could face the death penalty. Thursday's hearing marked the last time that prosecutors or the defense could request ground rules for the trial, expected to start next month. According to reports from the hearing, Tsarnaev's defense asked U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr about whether they could use expert testimony to show how or if his older brother Tamerlan 'influenced him' and whether the jury would hear about their family upbringing. The brothers were believed to have carried out the attack together, but Tamerlan died in a shoot out with police a few days after the bombings.

• published: 18 Dec 2014
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