In a thick Russian accent — with his head bowed and body shaking — the man who appeared cold and emotionless throughout his trial for bombing the Boston Marathon two years ago stood in federal court Wednesday and apologized for detonating one of two explosives at the historic race.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, stood nervously in a courtroom packed with survivors, jurors, lawyers and the federal judge who would shortly thereafter formally sentence him to death. He repeatedly invoked his Muslim faith while telling victims, “I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering I have caused you, and for the terrible damage I have done. Irreparable damage.”
He added, “If there is any lingering doubt, let there be no more. I did do it along with my brother.” Of the bombings, he said, “I am guilty.”
The words of admission and regret, the first he has uttered publicly, followed the powerful testimony of several dozen victims and relatives of the dead gathered in the courtroom. Earlier in the day, 23 of them — some still angry and suffering, others ready to move on and forgive — told the judge how the April 15, 2013, bombings had forever ripped apart their lives.
Many dismissed Tsarnaev’s statement as inadequate. “A simple, believable apology would have been nice,” said Lynn Julian, an actress who suffered a concussion in the attack. “But there was nothing sincere or believable in what he said.”
Scott Weisberg, a physician who lost much of his hearing, agreed: “I don’t think it was genuine.”
But Henry Borgard, a young college English major who now walks with the aid of a service dog, said he had forgiven Tsarnaev. “I have come to a place of peace, and I genuinely hope he does as well,” Borgard said. “For me to hear him say he is sorry, that is enough for me.”
It was a day of raw emotion in the federal courthouse, beginning with the victims’ statements, followed by the startling announcement that Tsarnaev would speak publicly for the first time since the trial began, and ending with U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. telling him, “I sentence you to the penalty of death by execution.” Though the federal jury had previously voted to impose the death penalty, O’Toole’s sentence made it official.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, seen in a court sketch from his sentencing hearing today, will address the court as he is formally sentenced to the death penalty
On Wednesday, Tsarnaev’s four-minute statement offered the only firsthand insights to date about the young man’s state of mind, motives and thoughts about the attack. Dressed in a dark sport coat and gray shirt, his black hair and beard disheveled, Tsarnaev appeared to have memorized his comments.
“I am a Muslim. My religion is Islam,” he said. “I ask Allah to bestow his mercy on those present here today. I pray for your relief, for your healing, for your well-being, for your strength.
Tsarnaev was escorted out of the courtroom by two U.S. marshals. Prosecutors said he would be taken to federal prison, possibly the supermax fortress in the Colorado Rockies, and eventually to federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana.
There, he will become the youngest federal inmate, waiting to surrender his life for murdering three people and injuring more than 260 others in the twin pressure-cooker bombings, and for killing a police officer during the subsequent manhunt.
DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV’S FULL STATEMENT TO BOSTON BOMBING VICTIMS
Thank you, your Honor, for giving me the opportunity to speak. I would like to begin in the name of Allah, the exalted and glorious, the most gracious, the most merciful, ‘Allah’ among the most beautiful names. Any act that does not begin in the name of God is separate from goodness.
This is the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is the month of mercy from Allah to his creation, a month to ask forgiveness of Allah and of his creation, a month to express gratitude to Allah and his creation. It’s the month of reconcilliation, a month of patience, a month during which hearts change. Indeed, a month of many blessings.
The Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him, said if you have not thanked the people, you have not thanked God. So I would like to first thank my attorneys, those who sit at this table, the table behind me, and many more behind the scenes. They have done much good for me, for my family. They made my life the last two years very easy. I cherish their company. They’re lovely companions. I thank you.
I would like to thank those who took time out of their daily lives to come and testify on my behalf despite the pressure. I’d like to thank the jury for their service, and the Court. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said that if you do not – if you are not merciful to Allah’s creation, Allah will not be merciful to you, so I’d like to now apologize to the victims, to the survivors.
I’m sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering I caused you, for the damage I’ve done. Irreparable damage.Immediately after the bombing, which I am guilty of – if there’s any lingering doubt about that, let there be no more. I did do it along with my brother – I learned of some of the victims. I learned their names, their faces, their age. And throughout this trial more of those victims were given names, more of those victims had faces, and they had burdened souls.
Now, all those who got up on that witness stand and that podium related to us – to me – I was listening – the suffering that was and the hardship that still is, with strength and with patience and with dignity. Now, Allah says in the Qur’an that no soul is burdened with more than it can bear, and you told us just how unbearable it was, how horrendous it was, this thing I put you through. And I know that you kept that much. I know that there isn’t enough time in the day for you to have related to us everything. I also wish that four more people had a chance to get up there, but I took them from you.
Now, I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering I caused you, for the damage I’ve done. Irreparable damage.
Now, I’m a Muslim. My religion is Islam. The god I worship, besides whom there is no other God, is Allah. And I prayed for Allah to bestow his mercy upon the deceased, those affected in the bombing and their families. Allah says in the Qur’an that with every hardship there is relief. I pray for your relief, for your healing, for your well-being, for your strength.
I ask Allah to have mercy upon me and my brother and my family. I ask Allah to bestow his mercy upon those present here today. And Allah knows best those deserving of his mercy. And I ask Allah to have mercy upon the ummah of Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him. Amin. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Thank you.
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Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologizes to victims after he was sentenced to death
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