Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: ‘I Apologize to the Victims’ of Boston Marathon Bombing (Updated)

Following a series of emotionally charged testimonials from survivors and relatives of victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, convicted co-perpetrator Dzhokhar Tsarnaev formally and publicly apologized to them all during a court hearing at which he waited to be officially sentenced to death.

“I would like to now apologize to the victims, to the survivors,” Tsarnaev told his audience in the Boston courtroom. “I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering that I have caused you, for the damage I have done, irreparable damage.”

Here’s more from The Guardian:

Tsarnaev endured their anger and anguish with the same implacable blankness that he wore throughout his long trial. Dressed in a black suit, the 21-year-old – who carried out the bombing with his older brother Tamerlan – sat impassive next to his lawyers.

[… ] At 21, Tsarnaev will be the youngest person on death row in the United States. Following the hearing, he will be taken from custody in Massachusetts to a federal prison in Indiana. He probably faces over a decade of appeals before his execution could take place.

A handful of survivors spoke of forgiveness, and a few even mentioned closure. But many spoke of fighting for their future and of recovering despite the rippling consequences of the attack: medical costs, nightmares, children growing up without limbs, friends who no longer know how to communicate, and terror at the sounds of doors and sirens.

Survivor Johanna Hantel said that the trial “has not been healing” for her: “I do not believe in closure.”

Update: Tsarnaev’s words didn’t change his fate. As the Associated Press reported, the accused bomber was formally handed the death penalty Wednesday afternoon.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson