The self-proclaimed Islamic State supporter who killed eight people in 2017 when he plowed a truck into a crowd on the West Side Highway bike path, killing eight people and injuring many more, was sentenced to life in prison in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday.
Sayfullo Saipov, 35, will spend the rest of his days in a highly secure prison in Colorado. He will be locked in his cell for up to 23 hours a day, and will only be allowed to shower or make 15-minute phone calls to family a few times a week.
Judge Vernon Broderick imposed the maximum sentence of 260 years, along with multiple life terms. He called Saipov’s conduct — the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11 — “among the worst, if not the worst, I’ve ever seen.”
A federal jury convicted Saipov of 28 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges, including terrorism. He faced the possibility of the death penalty, which is still legal on the federal level, but a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict during a special death penalty phase of the trial earlier this year.
The daylong proceeding was primarily dedicated to Saipov’s victims, more than a dozen of whom read statements detailing the pain he had caused, often through tears.
“This god you believe in, let him forgive you, because I never will,” Ornella Pagnucco, whose father was killed in the attack, said in Spanish.
One after the next, loved ones of the deceased and survivors of the attack described the birthdays and holidays they could no longer celebrate with their spouses, children or siblings. They spoke about the sleepless nights, the missed graduations and weddings. They explained how their lives have forever changed, and struggled to make sense of Saipov’s motivations.
“Who are you?” asked Vanesa Erlij Wittenberg, the sister of Ariel Erlij, in Spanish. “Why do you think you have the right to decide who lives or dies?”
Several victims called Saipov a “monster” and a “coward.” Some chided him…
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