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NEW YORK – A man accused of using a truck to kill eight people last year on a bike path in New York City will face capital punishment at a lawsuit next year, officials said. Federal prosecutors on Friday in a case where President Donald Trump had tweeted that the accused deserves to be executed.
According to the Government, the case against Sayfullo Saipov respected several legal standards, including the premeditation to commit terrorism and the "odious, cruel and depraved manner" of which the victims were killed.
In a statement, defense attorney David Patten said he was disappointed that the Justice Ministry had authorized the death penalty.
"We believe that the decision to seek the death penalty rather than accepting a guilty plea in prison for life without the possibility of release will only prolong the trauma of these events for all involved," Patten said. .
After arresting Saipov in the deadliest attack on the city of New York since September 11, 2001, Trump tweeted: "SHOULD GET A DEATH PENALTY" and "Should go fast." DEATH PENALTY ". The tweets were cited in defense documents filed earlier this month in which an independent prosecutor was required to make a decision, saying the tenuous relationship of Sessions with Trump made the DOJ impossible to be fair.
Sessions "works for President Trump and obviously wants to keep his post," wrote the federal public defenders of Saipov. "This challenges reality, not to mention all appearances, to believe that it could make a truly independent decision as to whether Mr. Saipov should incur the death penalty, knowing that a decision not to asking for death would inevitably trigger a ridiculous "tweetstorm" and contempt of the president and could well lead to the loss of his job. "
On Friday, in a separate document, prosecutors said the argument "tarnished credulity" as there was no evidence that the decision had been influenced by the policy.
"After fully complying with the law and the Manual of Justice, the Attorney General exercised his discretion appropriately to determine that the circumstances of this case – which imply a terrorist attack resulting in many deaths and human suffering – justified the ultimate sanction available, "prosecutors wrote.
Saipov, 30, legally left Uzbekistan to legally settle in the United States in 2010. He lived in Ohio and Florida and worked as a commercial truck driver before living more recently. with his family in Paterson, New Jersey.
The court documents indicate that after his arrest, he reportedly told the authorities that he was inspired by videos of the Islamic State and that he had used a truck when of the attack to inflict maximum damage to civilians. He pleaded not guilty.
The trial is scheduled to open on October 7, 2019. A jury, if he declares Saipov guilty, will be asked to decide in a second phase of the trial if he is to be executed.
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