Boston bomber apologizes before getting formal death sentence

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologized to the families of his victims this morning before a judge formally sentenced him to death.

“I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done—irreparable damage,” Tsarnaev said, looking at the judge but addressing his victims. “I pray for your relief, for your healing.”

Tsarnaev, 21, has not spoken publicly since his arrest, two years ago. His lawyers argued he acted under the influence of his older brother, Tamerlan, who died during a shootout with police four days after the bombing. But Tsarnaev never showed any emotion during the trial, even as victims described watching their limbs blown off by the crude bombs the brothers placed near the marathon finish line.

Defense attorneys painted Tsarnaev as more interested in typical teenage exploits than his brother’s radical Islam, but in his statement he made several religious references and praised Allah. Social media postings from around the attack indicated the brothers planned the bombing as retribution for Muslims killed in the Middle East by U.S. troops.

This morning, Tsarnaev paused several times as he read his five-minute, prepared statement, as though he needed to compose himself. Before making the statement, he listened to three hours of statements from victims and their family members, several of whom said he deserved to die for his actions.

The bombing on April 15, 2013, killed three people and injured 260 more. Many of the injured lost limbs. Tsarnaev’s defense team may still appeal his conviction and sentence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.