U.S.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Apologizes to Victims of Boston Marathon Bombing

By  and 
Protesters against the death penalty stood outside the federal courthouse in Boston where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced Wednesday. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press 
BOSTON — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stood in a federal courtroom here on Wednesday and spoke publicly for the first time since uttering the words “not guilty” at his arraignment almost two years ago in the 2013 Boston Marathonbombing.
In his brief comments, Mr. Tsarnaev apologized for the bombing and noted that it was Ramadan, which he said was a time to ask for forgiveness.
“I’m sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, the suffering that I’ve caused and the damage that I’ve done, irreparable damage,” he said, wearing a dark suit, his hair longer and messier than it was during his trial.
He spoke for about four minutes, in a soft voice that was difficult to hear in the courtroom. “I would like to begin in the name of Allah,” he said. “This is the blessed month of Ramadan.”
He also included an admission: “I am guilty” of the bombing.
It was an unexpected display from Mr. Tsarnaev, who has sat impassively as survivors of the bombing, which killed three and wounded more than 260, described the horrors that he and his brother, Tamerlan, caused on Boylston Street that day.

Document: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Apologizes to Victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing 

Later in the hearing Wednesday, Judge George O’Toole Jr. of Federal District Court formally sentenced Mr. Tsarnaev to death with words from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”
“‘The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.’ So it will be for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” the judge said.
At times during his comments, Mr. Tsarnaev seemed briefly overcome with emotion. At one point, he paused and covered his mouth. He spoke haltingly, and admitted his guilt.
“I was listening,” he said, referring to the trial, even though his body language at times suggested otherwise, as he fidgeted and stared, apparently into space. He said he had learned about his victims.
“I’ve learned their names, their faces, their age, and throughout this trial, more of the victims were given names,” Mr. Tsarnaev said.
Earlier, Mr. Tsarnaev sat as victims and their loved ones spoke of his “cowardly” and “disgusting” acts.
“I hope you own all this grief and anguish for the rest of your life,” a survivor, Jeanne-Marie Parker, said.

Document: Comments by Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. Before Sentencing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 

Bill Richard, whose 8-year-old son, Martin, was killed, said that Mr. Tsarnaev could have backed out of the plot. Instead, Mr. Richard said: “He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. This is all on him.”
But, he added: “We chose love. We choose kindness. We choose peace.”
Johanna Hantel, a runner in the 2013 Marathon who was near the finish line when the explosions occurred, remained defiant. “If I have to crawl, I am going to continue running Boston each year,” Ms. Hantel said. “Because I will not let this sickening act take that away from me.”
Mr. Tsarnaev’s words drew a mixed reaction from those injured in the bombing.
Lynn Julian, a Boston resident who was near the site of the first explosion and sustained traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments, called his statement “insincere.”
“I regret having ever wanted to hear him speak, because what he said showed no remorse, no regret, no empathy for what he’s done to our lives,” Ms. Julian said after the hearing.
But Henry Borgard, 24, who said in a victim impact statement that the post-traumatic stress he had after the bombings had caused him to drop out of college, said he was heartened by Mr. Tsarnaev’s statement.
“For me to hear him say he’s sorry, that is enough for me,” Mr. Borgard said, adding that he had forgiven Mr. Tsarnaev.