Court set to hear from 25 victims at sentencing of NYC bike path terrorist Sayfullo Saipov
West Side Highway terrorist Sayfullo Saipov is set to receive life in prison Wednesday at his sentencing — where more than two dozen victims are expected to speak about the toll the ISIS-inspired attack had on their lives.
Prosecutors have said they expect roughly 25 people — including two traveling to New York from abroad — will speak for about five minutes each during the hearing in Manhattan federal court.
Saipov will have the opportunity to address the court after his victims speak.
The 35-year-old Uzbekistan immigrant was convicted in January of 28 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, and providing material support to a terrorist organization for the Oct. 31, 2017 truck rampage on a lower Manhattan bike path that killed eight people and injured many more.
The jury, following a second, penalty phase of trial, could not unanimously agree to sentence Saipov to death — meaning he is instead slated to receive life in prison without parole.
In court papers from Tuesday, prosecutors emphasized the “extraordinary depravity” of Saipov’s crimes in asking the judge to run eight life sentences consecutively — resulting in a 260-year prison term.
Saipov remains “committed to ISIS and its hateful ideology” — evidenced by his prison notebooks from 2022 referencing jihad, ISIS, and containing violent imagery, prosecutors said, adding he’s still “proud” of the Halloween attack.
The Islamist extremist has been violent since he’s been locked up, including threatening to “behead corrections officers,” the prosecutors said.
“Saipov is an unabashed terrorist—a proud murderer who deserves no leniency and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” the prosecutors wrote.
Slain victims’ family members testified at trial about the devastation caused by the loss of their loved ones.
“The defendant caused unbearable pain to these families. They are still suffering,” Assistant Manhattan US Attorney Amanda Houle said in seeking the heavier penalty during closing arguments at the second trial in March.
Saipov’s family members also took the witness stand testifying through tears about how they still loved him despite his horrific acts.
A dramatic scene unfolded in the courtroom in February when Saipov’s weeping father told jurors he still loved his son “with all my heart” before Saipov’s uncle cried out in Uzbek from the courtroom gallery “Dirty ISIS bastards!”
The jury found mitigating factors in deciding against capital punishment, including that Saipov has three children and other family who still love him and want him alive.
In arguing against the death penalty, Saipov lawyer David Patton told jurors, “It is not necessary to kill Sayfullo Saipov, not for our safety or anyone else’s and not to do justice.”
Saipov will be imprisoned at the nation’s “supermax” ADX prison in Florence, Colorado.
Jurors heard from Saipov’s lawyers at the phase two part of trial about the restrictive and spartan conditions their client will experience at the federal facility.
“He’ll never eat the food he loves again. Never taste the food he grew up eating,” said Saipov attorney David Stern.
