Emotional outbursts by suspect’s family derailed New York assault death penalty trial

Emotions ran high Thursday as the man convicted of killing eight people on a New York bike path was handed down to death as the man’s father expressed shame and love for his son and the defendant’s uncle yelled, “Dirty ISIS bastards!” and kicked the door out of the room.

Khabibullo Saipov’s testimony in federal court in Manhattan and the subsequent outburst is before a jury to decide whether Saifullo Saipov receives death or a life sentence for his 2017 Halloween-day assault while driving a truck on a busy road near the World Trade Center. Memorial center mowing down pedestrians and cyclists.

“I’m sorry this happened,” Judge Vernon S. Broderick said after the jury left the room. He expressed concern about how the dramatic turnaround could affect jurors and warned defense attorneys not to let this kind of behavior happen again. The readings did not resume for two hours.

“That we are disappointed by this is an understatement,” lawyer David Patton told the judge. Broderick later banned his uncle from the courthouse.

The death penalty phase began after the same jury sentenced 35-year-old Saifullo Saipov last month, who slumped in his chair and appeared unrepentant and impassive throughout the trial.

But he perked up when his father, whom he had only recently seen for the first time in 13 years, denounced the attack, saying he had shamed the family.

When asked by defense lawyer David Stern how he reacted to his son’s attack, Khabibullokh Saipov said: “My soul was destroyed.”

“He committed a terrible tragedy. He caused the death of eight people and injured many more, ruined their lives,” said Saipov.

How do you feel about what he did? Stern asked.

“I feel very bad about this. And I would like to apologize to everyone, to all the victims,” he continued.

Khabibullo Saipov testified that once, after working in the US for five years, he told his son that “the people there are sincere and always smile at each other.”

So the time has come for the jury to decide whether Saifullo Saipov will receive the death penalty or life imprisonment. Erica Byfield reports.

When the son arrived in the village in 2010 and started working as a truck driver, the father said they often talked for hours to keep him awake on long trips.

Khabibullo Saipov wept as he recounted how he learned that his son had carried out the attack and how his wife collapsed and passed out after seeing photos of the aftermath on her phone. According to him, law enforcement agencies interrogated him for 15 days.

At one point, Saifullo Saipov pulled off his protective mask to dry his eyes when his father was crying. The father also spoke of phone calls in which Saifullo Saipov boasted that he was lucky to have a son who had done something heroic.

“Do you consider yourself lucky that you have a son who did what he did?” Stern asked.

“No, not at all,” said the father.

Khabibullo Saipov admitted that he will likely never see his son again after he returns to his country, Uzbekistan, on Friday.

When asked if he still loves him, he replied: “With all my heart.”

He added that he hopes that his son will be able to escape the death penalty so that he realizes the truth about his crimes.

Erica Byfield with news of a high-profile federal case that could lead to the death penalty.

The uncle’s outburst and another scream from an unknown woman caused a family member of one victim to sob as the judge called for a nurse. He also instructed to check Saifullo Saipov.

The words “dirty ISIS bastards” were relayed by the interpreter at the request of the judge. The interpreter said that everything anyone else said was unintelligible.

After Saifullo’s arrest, Saipov told investigators that he carried out the killings after the Islamic State called for the attacks.

Testimony resumed after a long break, and the judge instructed the jury that the uncle’s prank was not directed against the court, the jury, prosecutors, the defense, or the trial.

Khamidullokh Saipov, another uncle, testified that he also still loves his nephew, although he believes that he did “something wrong, something incredible.”

“He broke everyone’s hearts. He broke our hearts,” my uncle said. “Everyone was in shock. Everyone was sick.”

He said that Saifullo Saipov had changed due to “the influence of bad people” and added that he hoped his nephew would “come to his senses”.

Saifullo Saipova’s sister, who is a year younger than him, concluded today’s testimony with a tearful description of the damage her brother’s actions had done to their parents’ health.