Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbekistan national, was spared the death penalty but will now serve a staggering 10 life sentences and 260 additional years behind bars.
Sayfullo Saipov, the Islamic State extremist who killed eight people in Manhattan with a truck on a bike path in 2017, will serve 10 life sentences and an additional 260 years in prison after being spared the death penalty.
Eight of the 10 life sentences will be served consecutively, the remaining two life sentences will be served concurrently and the additional 260 years is meant to send a message to others like him, the Associated Press reported.
U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, who presided over his trial, said the sentence was meant to reflect the severity of the terrorist attack. “The conduct in this case is among the worst, if not the worst I’ve ever seen,” Broderick said in the sentencing hearing. “Both in terms of the impact it had on these victims and the sheer unrepentant nature of the defendant.
“You did not and you do not care about their pain and suffering,” Broderick continued, adding that even his relatives were “traumatized” by his actions.
The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict regarding the death penalty during trial, which led to an automatic life sentence, The New York Times reported.
Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the eight life sentences “account for the eight lives Saipov stole when he committed his vicious ISIS attack,” according to CBS News.
Two Americans, a Belgian woman and five Argentinian tourists were killed on Halloween in 2017 when Saipov, a former long-haul truck driver, mowed them down along the scenic Hudson River bike path with a 6,000-pound pickup truck. 18 others were injured in the attack.
“Mr. Saipov, I am one of your victims. I will never be able to walk like you can,” Marion Van Reeth, a Belgian woman who had both legs amputated after the attack, said during his sentencing hearing.
Monica Missio, who lost her 23-year-old son Nicholas Cleves in the attack, said in court, “I’m going to grieve for Nicholas for the rest of my life because my life for him is endless.” Cleves, who grew up near where he was struck and killed, was the only New Yorker killed in what is known as the deadliest attack in Manhattan since Sept. 11.
Saipov, a Uzbekistan citizen who once resided in New Jersey, also had a chance to address the court during sentencing. Through a translator, he went on a meandering and remorseless rant about Islam, jihad, ISIS and Allah.
