Tsarnaev Friend Appears In Court On Gun, Drug Charges

A lawyer for a man who authorities suspect provided the gun used by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects to kill an MIT police officer said Wednesday he's concerned about finding an impartial jury because of intense media coverage of the bombing.

Stephen Silva, a friend of suspect, is charged with heroin trafficking and possession of a handgun with an obliterated serial number. Silva made a brief appearance in federal court on Wednesday.

Silva's indictment says he received a Ruger pistol with the serial number removed in February 2013.

Silva's lawyer, Jonathan Shapiro, confirmed that authorities believe the gun was used to kill Officer Sean Collier. Authorities say Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, killed Collier three days after the bombings.

Shapiro said he's concerned coverage of the bombing could affect his client's right to a fair trial.

Three people were killed and 260 were injured in the 2013 bombing.