Sayfullo Saipov, convicted of the New York City shooting, is seen in this undated photo obtained by Reuters
By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sayfullo Saipov, the man convicted of killing eight people in a Manhattan bike path attack in 2017, was spared the death penalty on Monday after a federal grand jury deadlocked on whether he should or not run.
As a result, Saipov will be sentenced to life in prison without parole. A unanimous decision was required by US federal law for the death sentence that prosecutors sought.
Saipov is expected to be housed at Supermax Penitentiary in Colorado, the most secure federal prison in the US.
The 35-year-old Uzbek national was convicted in January of murder with the aim of joining Islamic State, a group the United States designates a “terrorist” organization. The jury was assembled to consider Saipov’s punishment.
Saipov’s case is the first federal death penalty trial since US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021 after promising during his campaign to abolish capital punishment.
“In the end, Saipov’s actions highlighted one of the cornerstones of the rule of law in this country: the right to a full and fair public trial,” Damian Williams, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, said in a statement following the verdict.
Saipov’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York)
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