What to Know
- Sayfullo Saipov was convicted of killing eight people on a Manhattan bike path on Halloween in 2017 in a terror-inspired attack; the death penalty had been on the table, but the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision, meaning an automatic life sentence with no chance at parole
- Prosecutors had urged death, saying Saipov never showed compassion for any of his victims as he sought to kill as many people as he could, even confessing that he had hoped to go to the Brooklyn Bridge after the bike path attack to kill more people; they now want eight life sentences
- Saipov's attorneys had asked jurors to spare him the death penalty, noting how several members of his family expressed hope that someday he would realize how wrong he was. He did not testify during trial but did have the opportunity to speak at his sentencing
The extremist who maniacally raced a truck along a popular New York City bike path, killing eight people and maiming 18 others in 2017 received the maximum sentence Wednesday -- of 260 years total.
Relatives of eight people killed in a Halloween terror attack on a New York City bike path in 2017, as well as those who were hurt, spoke at the Wednesday sentencing hearing for Saipov who prosecutors say should have been put to death for his crimes. During an extremely emotional day in court, 21 people spoke through anger, sobbing, and even some forgiveness.
Saipov's sentencing in Manhattan federal court comes after a jury in March rejected the death penalty for the Uzbekistan citizen and one-time New Jersey resident, leaving him with a mandatory life sentence.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Saipov, who did not testify at his trial, had the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing, speaking for nearly an hour through a translator. Most of what Saipov recounted amounted to ISIS propaganda, then ranted about Adam and Eve, the Koran and jihad. About 50 minutes in, prosecutors interjected saying that, although Saipov has a right to speak, the length and content should have limits.
The judge agreed and told Saipov to focus to make his point, after which Saipov said "one handkerchief would hold their tears, but this courtroom would be filled with the blood and tears from the Muslim population." An outburst followed, with one person yelling out "the only act of the devil here is the act you did."
The judge called Saipov's conduct one of the worst, if not the worst, he's seen in his career in terms of lack of remorse.
News
Prosecutors had urged Judge Vernon S. Broderick to impose the sentence of eight consecutive life sentences — one for each death — and an additional 260 years in prison, according to a pre-sentence submission. That is exactly what the judge did.
"Saipov is an unabashed terrorist — a proud murderer who deserves no leniency and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law," prosecutors wrote.
“After months of planning a vicious terrorist attack, Saipov got what he wanted: brutal carnage of innocent people, lives and families destroyed, and terror in New York City. Indeed, the only thing Saipov was denied was even more death and destruction because he crashed into a school bus before he made it to the Brooklyn Bridge,” they added.
Saipov, 35, carried out his attack on Halloween in 2017 when he ran his rented truck onto a bike path in Lower Manhattan that is popular with residents and tourists.
Five tourists from Argentina, two Americans and a Belgian woman were killed, and 18 others were seriously injured.
Saipov was shot by a police officer and immediately taken into custody after emerging from his truck shouting “God is great” in Arabic and waving paintball and pellet guns in the air.
Prosecutors said he smiled as he asked FBI agents who questioned him in a hospital room after the attack if they could hang an Islamic State group flag on the walls.
At his trial, his family members urged a life sentence, saying they hoped he would realize what he had done and express remorse. They said they wanted him to return to the passive person they remembered him as before he grew obsessed with online propaganda posted by the Islamic State militant group.
A former long-haul truck driver, Saipov moved legally to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010 and lived in Ohio and Florida before joining his family in Paterson, New Jersey.
His lawyer, David Patton, told jurors that his actions were “senseless, horrific, and there’s no justification for them.” Jurors who did not reach a unanimous verdict (meaning that the death penalty was off the table) said that Saipov spending the rest of his life in a Colorado supermax facility is a more severe punishment than death.
One survivor agreed with that sentiment.
"I hope for him really in jail he can come to a point where he can regret," said Aristide Melissas, who was injured in the attack.
Patton, who did not post a sentencing submission in the public file, did not return an email message Tuesday.
