A courtroom sketch U.S. Attorney William Weinreb delivering opening statements in front of U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. on the first day of the trial. (AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins)By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) - Lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev say survivors of the attacks shouldn't have been allowed to give such gruesome testimony, but the judge disagrees.
Defense attorney David Bruck is objecting to the extent of testimony Wednesday from three women who described their injuries in detail and what they saw on the day of the 2013 attack.
Bruck said Thursday that under the federal death penalty law, victim impact testimony is supposed to be presented during the second phase of the trial when the jury decides punishment.
Prosecutors say the survivors simply described what they saw.
Judge George O'Toole Jr. agreed with prosecutors and denied the motion to limit survivors' testimony.
Boston police Officer Frank Chiola has taken the stand as the first witness Thursday.
