“Due to the rescheduling that took place, we were able to know that it is very possible that this will take at least two weeks of scheduled activity. It was very difficult to bring all the witnesses, considering that they are going to bring Saipov’s family, who comes from Uzbekistan, as witnesses,” explained lawyer Juan Félix Marteau.
Victim
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 police officer as he tried to flee the scene of the attack, is an immigrant from Uzbekistan who, according to his first statements, carried out the attack to join IS.
This element, according to lawyer Marteau, is what leaves the door open for the sentence of the culprit to be the death penalty, since the IS is part of the list of terrorist organizations that the United States draws up. “It became clear in this process that Sayfullo Saipov provides material support to ISIS. This opens the door through which the death penalty should be accredited”, Marteau had said when the court sentenced the Uzbek for murder, with the clarification that it was a technical observation, that it had nothing to do with the opinion of his clients in this case. judgment.
The defense motion questioned why the government was pursuing the death penalty when the Biden administration has imposed a moratorium on federal executions and refused to authorize the death penalty in deadlier attacks, particularly hate crimes in an El Paso, Texas, Walmart that left 23 dead in 2019.
