Judge sentences man behind package bomb scare

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A sketch of Cesar Sayoc (second from left) in court with attorneys Monday Associated Press/Aggie Kenny

Judge sentences man behind package bomb scare

A judge sentenced the man who sent 16 pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and journalists before last year’s midterm elections to 20 years in prison on Monday. Cesar Sayoc, an amateur bodybuilder from Florida, admitted he sent the bombs but said he didn’t design them to explode. He targeted former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, and others. Prosecutors asked the judge for a life sentence.

Why did he do it? Sayoc, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, blamed a life of mental illness, a childhood sexual assault, excessive use of steroids, and his failure to listen to his mother, “the love of my life.” Sayoc wept and crossed himself when the judge announced the sentence.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD Digital’s coverage of the bomb scare from October 2018.

Hannah Harris

Hannah is an associate producer and reporter for WORLD Watch. She is a World Journalism Institute and Covenant College graduate. Hannah resides in Asheville, N.C.

@h_g_harris