Tsarnaev Back in Court for First Time in 18 Months

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was back in court today for the first time in a year and a half, and maybe the most noteworthy aspect of the quick hearing was that no signs of a plea deal were evident, reports the Los Angeles Times. It would appear, then, that the Boston Marathon bombing suspect will go on trial Jan. 5 as scheduled, with the first step being the selection of a jury from an estimated 1,200 potential candidates. At today's hearing, Tsarnaev answered several questions from US District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. along the lines of whether he was happy with his lawyers ("Yes, your honor"), reports NBC News.

As for the 21-year-old himself: "His curly brown hair was long and unkempt," reports the Boston Globe. When answering questions, "Tsarnaev frequently rubbed his eyes and the hair on his chin." Tsarnaev also had his share of supporters outside the courtroom and within it. "They’re all welcome to their opinions,” said Marc Fucarile, who lost part of his leg in the bombings. “There’s supporters for him, and then there’s supporters for us.” He added that he was "just grateful I'm alive." Fucarile was one of more than 260 people injured that day. Another three people were killed. (More Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stories.)