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Twenty-five people who survived the attack and family members of
people who died are scheduled to speak during a hearing in
federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge Vernon
Broderick imposes the sentence on Sayfullo Saipov, convicted in
January of murder and terrorism charges.
The sentence of life in prison without parole became automatic
in the case after a jury deadlocked on whether Saipov, 35,
should receive the death penalty.
Saipov used a Home Depot rental truck to mow down people on a
path along the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side, according
to prosecutors. He had hoped to the attack would help him gain
membership in Islamic State, or ISIS, they said. The United
States designates ISIS as a terrorist organization.
Many of the people killed or injured were foreign nationals
visiting the most populous U.S. city. Most of the people
scheduled to speak at the hearing are traveling from Argentina
and Belgium. Each speaker will have about five minutes to
address the court and, if needed, will have an interpreter,
according to prosecutors.
It was unclear whether Saipov will address the court during the
proceeding. He is expected to be housed at Colorado's Supermax
facility, the most secure U.S. federal prison. There he is due
to spend 22 or 23 hours a day alone in a cell with a concrete
bed.
Saipov's case was the first federal death penalty trial since
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021 after
pledging during his campaign to abolish capital punishment in
federal cases.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York and Brendan O'Brien in
Chicago; Editing by Will Dunham)
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