Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused of planting bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon, made a brief appearance in court Thursday, quietly telling the judge that he was satisfied with his lawyers. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/us/man-charged-in-boston-marathon-bombings-to-appear-in-court.html?ref=us  When the hearing was over, Mr. Tsarnaev was handcuffed and led away. At that point, a woman who had been seated in the area reserved for members of the public called out in Russian to him. As she was escorted out by court officials, she switched to English and said to the court: “Stop killing innocent people. Don’t kill an innocent boy, please!”
The woman, Elena Teyer, 45, was the mother-in-law of Ibragim Todashev, who was killed in 2013 in Florida by an F.B.Iagent who was interviewing him about a triple murder in Waltham, Mass. The F.B.I said he threatened agents after reportedly telling them that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar’s older brother, had been involved. (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense team has wanted the triple murder to be part of the trial to show that Tamerlan had a history of violence and was the mastermind behind the marathon bombings, but the judge so far has not allowed it.)
“I told him he has a lot of support out here,” Ms. Teyer told reporters outside the courtroom, speaking in English. She said she also had told Mr. Tsarnaev: “We pray for you. Be strong, my son. We know you are innocent.”
She said she was certain from a slight flinch of his head that he heard her and was reassured to hear someone speaking Russian. Ms. Teyer, who traveled here from Savannah, Ga., for the court appearance, has never met Mr. Tsarnaev but insisted on his innocence as she spoke to reporters.
Outside the courthouse, a few people carried signs challenging the F.B.I. and casting doubt on the evidence against Mr. Tsarnaev. One, Valerie Vanetta, 23, held a sign that listed some of Mr. Tsarnaev’s accomplishments, like being a captain of his wrestling team.
“We’re very concerned with Dzhokhar’s rights, and we want to make sure that he gets a fair trial,” said Ms. Vanetta, a retail manager who traveled from Philadelphia.