This Monday, the trial against the Uzbek Sayfullo Saipov begins in New York for the murder, in 2017, of eight people in a New York bike lane, including five Argentines.
The federal court for the Southern District of New York must define whether Saipov will receive the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Saipov is accused of running over cyclists with a truck on September 11, 2017, who were riding in the West Site bike lane in Manhattan. The man wanted to join the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
The Uzbek was found guilty of murder by this same court on January 26 and this second phase, which should determine the corresponding sentence, should have started on February 4, but the proceedings and observations imposed by the defense forced this postponement. , and the added elements suggest that the sentence will not be handed down until the end of February or the beginning of March.
“Due to the rescheduling that took place, we learned that it is very possible that this will take at least two weeks of scheduled activity. There was great difficulty in bringing all the witnesses, considering that they are going to bring Saipov’s family, who comes from Uzbekistan, as witnesses.” , explained to Télam the lawyer Juan Félix Marteau.
The Argentine lawyer represents the widow and children of Hernán Mendoza, one of the victims of the attack perpetrated by Saipov, in the trial. Mendoza had traveled to New York with several of his high school classmates, in Rosario, to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Along with him, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi died, while Martín Marro was wounded. Nicholas Cleves, 23, of New York, and Darren Drake, 32, of New Milford, New Jersey, were the two Americans killed.
And the eighth victim was Ann-Laure Decalt, a 31-year-old Belgian citizen. Saipov, who was detained by a policeman when he tried to flee the scene of the attack, is an immigrant from Uzbekistan who, according to what he said in his first statements, carried out the attack to join IS.
