Crime

June trial set for Boston Marathon suspect's pals

January 15, 2014 / 4:52 PM EST / CBS/AP

BOSTON - A federal judge has set a June trial for three friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on charges of hindering the investigation into the attack.

Attorneys for Dias Kadyrbayev and Robel Phillipos had asked that the trial not be held until January 2015. But a lawyer for a third friend, Azamat Tazhayakov, asked for an earlier trial.

The judge agreed and scheduled the trial for June 23, several weeks earlier than Tazhayakov requested.

Death penalty in Boston bombing case? Decision expected soon 03:30

Authorities say Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov removed a laptop and backpack from Tsarnaev's room at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth three days after the bombing.

Phillipos is accused of lying to authorities. All three men have pleaded not guilty.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's friends arrested 15 photos

Authorities say Tsarnaev, 20, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, built two pressure-cooker bombs and placed them near the Marathon finish line. The April 15, 2013, explosions killed three people and wounded more than 260. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police several days after the bombings.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to a 30-count federal indictment that includes charges of using a weapon of mass destruction.

Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Tsarnaev by Jan. 31.

More from CBS News