BOSTON — In a startling turn, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologized for the lethal attack for the first time Wednesday just before a judge formally sentenced him to death.
“I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done — irreparable damage,” the 21-year-old college student said, breaking more than two years of public silence.
To the victims, he said: “I pray for your relief, for your healing.”
After Tsarnaev said his piece, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. quoted Shakespeare’s line about “The evil that men do lives after them” and told Tsarnaev that no one will remember that his teachers were fond of him, that his friends found him fun to be with or that he showed compassion to disabled people.
“What will be remembered is that you murdered and maimed innocent people, and that you did it willfully and intentionally. You did it on purpose,” O’Toole said.
“I sentence you to the penalty of death by execution,” he said.
Tsarnaev looked down and rubbed his hands together as the judge pronounced his fate.
The apology came after Tsarnaev listened impassively for about three hours as a procession of victims and their loved ones lashed out at him for his “cowardly” and “disgusting” acts.
“He can’t possibly have had a soul to do such a horrible thing,” said Karen Rand McWatters, who lost a leg in the attack and whose best friend, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, was killed.
The outcome of the proceedings was a foregone conclusion: The judge was required under law to impose the jury’s death sentence for the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260.
The only real suspense was whether Tsarnaev would say anything when given a chance to speak near the end of the proceedings.
Until Wednesday, he had said almost nothing publicly since his arrest more than two years ago, offering neither remorse nor explanation.
His apology was a five-minute address peppered with religious references and praise of Allah. Speaking in the accent of his native Russia, he paused several times, looking as if he was trying to maintain his composure.
He stood and faced the judge while speaking, but spoke of the victims.
Twenty-four people in all gave so-called victim impact statements at the sentencing in federal court, some of the urging him to explain himself and utter the words of remorse they longed to hear.
Tsarnaev made it clear he was listening.
“All those who got up on that witness stand and that podium relayed to us, to me — I was listening — the suffering that was and the hardship that still is, with strength, with patience, with dignity,” he said.
Updated 2:16 p.m.: BOSTON (AP) — Judge formally sentences Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for 2013 attacks.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. pronounced the sentence Wednesday in Boston. He was required under law to impose the jury’s death sentence for the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.
The judge says no one will remember that his teachers or friends were fond of him. He says what they will remember is that Tsarnaev “murdered and maimed innocent people” and “did it willfully and intentionally.”
Tsarnaev looked down and rubbed his hands together as the judge sentenced him.
An appeal is automatic in death penalty cases.
Updated 2:04 p.m.: BOSTON (AP) — Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev says that he’s sorry for the irreparable harm he’s caused and that he prays for the victims.
Tsarnaev addressed the court for the first time Wednesday at his sentencing hearing. He gave a five-minute speech with a Russian accent, peppered with religious references and praise of Allah.
The 21-year-old paused several times, looking as if he was trying to remain composed. He stood and faced the judge while speaking, but spoke of the victims.
He says he listened to everyone who spoke on the witness stand and he noted the strength, patience and dignity of the survivors. He also said he’s sorry for the lives he’s taken.
This story will be updated.
Updated 1:55 p.m.: Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has addressed the court as his sentencing hearing, thanking Allah and his attorenys.
The 21-year-old Tsarnaev spoke Wednesday before a federal judge formally sentenced him to death for the 2013 terror attacks.
Three people were killed and more than 260 others injured when twin bombs exploded at the finish line of the marathon. Tsarnaev was also convicted of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days later.
During his trial, a Roman Catholic nun who visited him said he expressed sympathy for the victims, but he has never said so publicly.
Updated 1:20 p.m.
The judge overseeing the sentencing hearing of the Boston Marathon bomber has decided to take a lunch break before the defense says whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will speak.
Judge George O’Toole Jr. decided to take the break Wednesday afternoon after the victim-impact statements were read and the prosecution had spoken. Court is expected to resume at around 2 p.m.
Legal experts have said Tsarnaev has little or nothing to gain by speaking since the judge is required to impose the death sentence recommended by the jury. But some wonder whether Tsarnaev would apologize or even make a political statement.
During his trial, a Roman Catholic nun who visited him said he expressed sympathy for the victims, but he has never said so publicly.
Updated 12:55 p.m.
A Texas woman who lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bomber has given a defiant speech in which she pointedly told Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that she is not his victim.
Rebekah Gregory was the last person to address Tsarnaev at his sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston before he is formally handed a death sentence. She looked directly at Tsarnaev as she spoke.
Gregory says: “While your intention was to destroy America, what you have really accomplished is actually quite the opposite — you’ve unified us.”
She says: “We are Boston Strong, we are America Strong, and choosing to mess with us was a terrible idea.”
She then says to Tsarnaev: “So how’s that for your VICTIM impact statement?”
Updated 12:25 p.m.
The father of a man who lost his right leg in the Boston Marathon bombings has told Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that he failed in his terrorist mission.
Ed Fucarile addressed Tsarnaev on Wednesday at his sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston. He is the father of Marc Fucarile.
Ed Fucarile says: “The first time I saw you in this courtroom, you were smirking at all the victims for your unspeakable cowardly act.”
He added: “You don’t seem to be smirking today.”
He says Tsarnaev failed because the city of Boston and the country have only become stronger and more prepared after the attacks.
Tsarnaev is set to be formally sentenced to death later Wednesday.
Updated 11:55 a.m.
Several victims of the Boston Marathon attack have chastised bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for coming to the United States as an immigrant, enjoying the benefits of living here and then attacking U.S. citizens.
An older sister of a slain Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer addressed Tsarnaev on Wednesday during his sentencing hearing. He is due to be formally sentenced to death by a judge.
Jennifer Rogers called Tsarnaev a “leech abusing the privilege of American freedom.” She says Tsarnaev “spit in the face of the American dream.”
Rogers’ brother, Sean Collier, was fatally shot by the Tsarnaev brothers as authorities closed in on them three days after the bombings.
Updated 11:35 a.m.
Several victims of the Boston Marathon attack who have chosen to speak at the bomber’s sentencing hearing are describing psychological issues invisible to the world but all too real and debilitating to them.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is scheduled to be formally sentenced Wednesday to death. But before that, survivors and loved ones of the victims are given a chance to address him.
A 45-year-old family physician from Birmingham, Alabama, says he finished running his first Boston Marathon seconds before the first bomb exploded. Scott Weisberg says he suffered hearing loss and a traumatic brain injury.
He says his once-successful medical practice is now struggling and he is getting divorced because his spouse can’t understand the trauma he experienced.
Updated 11:10 a.m.
A survivor of the Boston Marathon attack says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder but is grateful he found a way to forgive bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Henry Borgard was a 21-year-old Suffolk University student walking to his dorm when he heard the explosions.
He said at Tsarnaev’s sentencing hearing Wednesday that he suffered minor physical injuries but now has severe anxiety and nightmares and has been diagnosed with PTSD.
Borgard says, “I know how fear feels. I know how it feels when it courses through your veins and your blood gets cold.”
He says he is grateful to be alive and to be recovering from his psychological injuries.
But Borgard says he is most grateful that he was able to forgive Tsarnaev despite everything he did.
Updated 10:25 a.m.
The father of the youngest person killed in the Boston Marathon bombing says Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could have chosen not to place his bomb behind a group of children.
Bill Richard is the father of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was one of three people killed at the 2013 marathon. He addressed Tsarnaev on Wednesday as his wife, Denise, stood behind him.
Richard says Tsarnaev could have changed his mind that morning and “walked away with a minimal sense of humanity.”
But, Richard says, Tsarnaev “chose to accompany his brother and participate in this hate.”
Richard says his family has chosen love, kindness and peace. He says: “That is what makes us different than him.”
The Richards’ young daughter, Jane, also lost a leg in the bombing.
Updated 10:15 a.m.
The best friend of a woman killed at the 2013 Boston Marathon has urged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to show remorse to discourage other jihadists from killing people in similar attacks.
Karen Rand McWatters is a friend of Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old who was one of three people killed in the bombings.
McWatters says: “You can save them from these cowardly acts if you really have an ounce of regret or remorse.”
McWatters was with Campbell at the marathon and lost a leg in the explosions.
She told Tsarnaev that he “stood there watching children play and still chose to leave his weapon of mass destruction behind those children as he walked away.”
She says he must not have a soul to be able to do something like that.
Updated 10 a.m.
The mother of a woman killed in the Boston Marathon attack has told bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that what he did was “disgusting.”
Patricia Campbell was the first person to give a victim impact statement Wednesday at Tsarnaev’s formal sentencing. She is the mother of Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager from Medford, Massachusetts, who was one of three people killed in the bombings.
Patricia Campbell looked across the room at Tsarnaev and spoke directly to him. He was seated about 20 feet away and looked down as she spoke.
She says: “What you did to my daughter is disgusting.” She also said she thinks the jury did the right thing by sentencing him to death.
Updated 9:45 a.m.
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has entered the courtroom ahead of a hearing where he will formally be sentenced to death.
The 21-year-old Tsarnaev wore a dark sports jacket with a collared shirt and no tie. His beard is fuller than the goatee he sported during the trial. He appeared impassive as he chatted with his lawyers.
The Boston police commissioner and the parents of the youngest bombing victim were also in the courtroom Wednesday.
Three people died and more than 260 others were injured when twin bombs exploded at the finish line of the 2013 marathon.
In May, a federal jury condemned Tsarnaev to die for the bombings.
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