Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Speaks In Federal Court, Is Sentenced To Death

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June 24, 2015

Boston Marathon bombing victim Erika Brannock and her mother Carol Downing walk past demonstrators outside federal court in Boston Wednesday. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

"I am sorry for the lives that I've taken, for the suffering that I've caused you, and the damage that I've done."

Those are the words of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He spoke for the first time in federal court Wednesday, right before he was officially sentenced to death.

He went on to say, "I pray to Allah to bestow his mercy on you. I pray for your relief, for your healing. For your well-being, for your health."

Guests

David Boeri, senior reporter at WBUR and co-host of WBUR's Finish Line podcast. He tweets @DavidBoeri.

Nancy Gertner, Harvard Law School professor and former Massachusetts federal judge.

Donald Stern, former federal prosecutor.

David Hoose, Northampton defense attorney.

Rev. Liz Walker, senior pastor at Roxbury Presbyterian Church.

WBUR: Tsarnaev Speaks: He Apologizes To Bombing Victims And Says He Prays For Them

"Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologized for the deadly attack for the first time Wednesday just before a judge was set to formally sentence him to death."

The New York Times: Homegrown Radicals More Deadly Than Jihadis in U.S.

"In the 14 years since Al Qaeda carried out attacks on New York and the Pentagon, extremists have regularly executed smaller lethal assaults in the United States, explaining their motives in online manifestoes or social media rants.

This segment aired on June 24, 2015.