Sayfullo Saipov: Islamic extremist, 35, could be the first inmate to be executed in NY in last 60 years
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Sayfullo Saipov killed eight people on a bike path in New York City in 2017. On Monday, February 13, a jury began hearing testimony to assist them to decide whether or not to sentence him to death. The death sentence is an exceptionally rare punishment in the state of New York which has not seen an execution in the past 60 years.
Saipov, 35, was found guilty of the attack in January this year. He deliberately drove a truck at a high rate of speed down a sidewalk alongside the Hudson River in 2017, just hours before the city's Halloween celebrations, running over bicycles on a beautiful morning. Following a two-week break, the same jury that had earlier found Saipov guilty, reassembled to hear from more witnesses during the sentencing phase of the trial. If there isn't a unanimous decision to execute Saipov, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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Amanda Houle, an assistant US attorney, claimed that Saipov is still "proud, defiant, and unrepentant of the lives he destroyed" and that he is "still a danger even while imprisoned," according to the Associated Press. Houle informed the jury that Saipov smirked while explaining his attack to investigators hours after it occurred because his crime "made him happy." She said, "He had no remorse then. And the evidence will show he has continued to have no remorse."
Is Sayfullo Saipov going to be executed?
The defense team for Saipov argues that it is illegal for the government to continue seeking Saipov's execution while not seeking death sentences in numerous other cases, some of which include criminals who killed more people. In a recent court filing, the defense team stated, "There is no rhyme, reason, or predictability as to why the government chooses to seek death in some murder cases but not in others."
Prior to the start of the penalty phase's opening statements on Monday, February 13, Judge Vernon S Broderick rejected the defense team's argument. Saipov's trial is in the federal court, where the death penalty is still a possibility, despite the fact that New York has not carried out an execution since 1963.
Survivors testified in front of the jury at the start of the trial describing the horror, grief, and pain they continue to feel as a result of their wounds. Saipov cannot be executed unless the jury agrees to execute him in a unanimous vote. He will still be given a life sentence even if just one jury member disagrees with it.
The prosecution intends to offer evidence to the jury that suggests that if kept alive, Saipov could still be able to reach sympathizers. Before the case went to trial, Saipov's attorneys stated that he would be prepared to admit guilt and accept life in prison if the death penalty was not sought.
When did New York carry out an execution last?
The last person to be put to death in New York State was Eddie Lee Mays, a 34-year-old armed robber who was executed in the electric chair at the state prison in Ossining on the night of August 15, 1963, as reported by The New York Times. However, shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden suspended federal executions, and his Justice Department has not yet initiated any new death penalty cases.
New York was the state in the union with the second-highest number of executions between 1608 and 1972, as reported by the New York Post. Using everything from hanging by the neck and the stake to firing squads, the electric chair, and even the antiquated breaking wheel, New York demonstrated its ability to be exceptionally inventive with its techniques.
Recent attempts to execute suspected 'Bloods' member Ronell Wilson for the 2003 murders of undercover NYPD detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews occurred by the federal government, according to reports. However, in 2010, a federal judge ruled Wilson ineligible for the death penalty, stating that he was too "intellectually disabled" to be put to death.