Death penalty phase of trial looms for NYC bike path killer

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury on Monday will begin considering whether an Islamic extremist should be sentenced to death for killing eight people people on a New York City bike path. Sayfullo Saipov was convicted last month in the 2017 attack, in which he mowed down bicyclists with a truck. Starting Monday, the same jury that found Saipov guilty will now hear from additional witnesses in the trial’s penalty phase. Anything less than a unanimous vote for death will mean Saipov will spend the rest of his life in prison. New York state no longer has the death penalty, but it remains an option in federal court.