wishing to hear him speak because what he said showed no empathy or regret

Survivors of the Boston bombing today slammed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's sensational courtroom apology as insincere, saying it showed 'no remorse, no regret, no empathy'.

'I am sorry for the lives that I've taken, for the suffering that I've caused you, and the damage that I've done,' the 21-year-old killer told the stunned courtroom on Wednesday, before he was formally sentenced to death.

But speaking outside the courtroom following the hearing, survivor Lynn Julian, who was left with a traumatic brain injury, hearing loss and PTSD from the blasts, condemned his statement.

'After we heard it, we wished he hadn't [spoken] because the things he had to say were shocking,' she told reporters. 'I regret ever wanting him to speak... What he said showed no remorse, no regret, no empathy.'

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Getting ready to speak out: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, seen in a court sketch from his sentencing hearing today, will address the court as he is formally sentenced to the death penalty

Addressing their son's killer: Bill and Denise Richard, whose eight-year-old son Martin was killed in the 2013 attacks, were among dozens of victims who gave emotional victim impact statements

She accused him of giving an 'Oscar-style' speech that implied people should be lenient on him.

'A sincere apology would've been nice,' she added. 'A simple, believable apology would've been great. There was nothing simple about what he said and there was nothing sincere.'

Another survivor, Scott Weisberg, said he found it 'hard to believe' that Tsarnaev was remorseful.

'I've been to a lot of the trial and never really saw that at all from him,' he said. 'It doesn't change anything for me. What he took from me I will never be able to regain.'

U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz added to reporters that she 'was struck more by what he didn't say' than by what he did.

'He didn't renounce terrorism, he didn't renounce violent extremism,' she said. 'He couched his comments in line with Allah and with Allah's views, which gives it a religious tone... There was nothing about this crime that was Islam-associated.'

It is the first time that Tsarnaev has spoken publicly since the bombings which left three dead - including an 8-year-old boy - and more than 260 injured in 2013. Many of the victims whose lives were affected attended the sentencing hearing and gave emotional victim impact statements.

After they spoke, he addressed them in a slight accent and fought to control his emotions - just a couple of hours after he was seen smiling and laughing with his attorney in the courtroom.

DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV'S FULL STATEMENT TO BOSTON BOMBING VICTIMS Thank you, your Honor, for giving me the opportunity to speak. I would like to begin in the name of Allah, the exalted and glorious, the most gracious, the most merciful, 'Allah' among the most beautiful names. Any act that does not begin in the name of God is separate from goodness. This is the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is the month of mercy from Allah to his creation, a month to ask forgiveness of Allah and of his creation, a month to express gratitude to Allah and his creation. It’s the month of reconcilliation, a month of patience, a month during which hearts change. Indeed, a month of many blessings. The Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him, said if you have not thanked the people, you have not thanked God. So I would like to first thank my attorneys, those who sit at this table, the table behind me, and many more behind the scenes. They have done much good for me, for my family. They made my life the last two years very easy. I cherish their company. They’re lovely companions. I thank you. I would like to thank those who took time out of their daily lives to come and testify on my behalf despite the pressure. I’d like to thank the jury for their service, and the Court. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said that if you do not - if you are not merciful to Allah’s creation, Allah will not be merciful to you, so I’d like to now apologize to the victims, to the survivors. I'm sorry for the lives that I've taken, for the suffering I caused you, for the damage I've done. Irreparable damage. Immediately after the bombing, which I am guilty of - if there’s any lingering doubt about that, let there be no more. I did do it along with my brother - I learned of some of the victims. I learned their names, their faces, their age. And throughout this trial more of those victims were given names, more of those victims had faces, and they had burdened souls. Now, all those who got up on that witness stand and that podium related to us - to me - I was listening - the suffering that was and the hardship that still is, with strength and with patience and with dignity. Now, Allah says in the Qur’an that no soul is burdened with more than it can bear, and you told us just how unbearable it was, how horrendous it was, this thing I put you through. And I know that you kept that much. I know that there isn’t enough time in the day for you to have related to us everything. I also wish that four more people had a chance to get up there, but I took them from you. Now, I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering I caused you, for the damage I’ve done. Irreparable damage. Now, I’m a Muslim. My religion is Islam. The god I worship, besides whom there is no other God, is Allah. And I prayed for Allah to bestow his mercy upon the deceased, those affected in the bombing and their families. Allah says in the Qur’an that with every hardship there is relief. I pray for your relief, for your healing, for your well-being, for your strength. I ask Allah to have mercy upon me and my brother and my family. I ask Allah to bestow his mercy upon those present here today. And Allah knows best those deserving of his mercy. And I ask Allah to have mercy upon the ummah of Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him. Amin. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Thank you. Advertisement

Anger: Survivor Lynn Julian, flanked by other bombing survivors, said after the hearing that she wish she had never heard Tsarnaev speak because there was nothing remorseful or sincere about his statement

Support: Survivors Erika Brannock, left, and Rebekah Gregory, right, leave the Moakley Federal Courthouse clutching each other following Tsarnaev's formal sentencing in Boston

Survivor: MBTA Transit Police officer Richard 'Dic' Donohue, who was seriously wounded in a shootout during the Tsarnaev's arrest, is seen leaving the courtroom on Wednesday afternoon

Side by side: Marathon survivors Karen McWatters (left) and Heather Abbott leave the federal courthouse

'I'd like to now apologize to the victims and to the survivors,' he said. 'Immediately after the bombing that I am guilty of, I learned of some of the victims, their names, their faces, their ages...

A sincere apology would've been nice. A simple, believable apology would've been great. There was nothing simple about what he said and there was nothing sincere Survivor Lynn Julian

'I pray for your relief, for your healing. For your well-being, for your health.'

He said that he was a Muslim and asked Allah for mercy for the victims, as well as mercy for him and his brother, who was killed in a police shootout in the aftermath of the attacks.

He became emotional as he spoke, according to Yahoo News correspondent Holly Bailey. She added that he did not appear to look at his victims.

Tsarnaev was convicted of 30 counts in April and, in May, a jury voted to sentence him to death by lethal injection. District Judge George O'Toole formally ordered the punishment today.

'Whenever your name is mentioned, what will be remembered is the evil you have done,' O'Toole told him after he spoke. 'No one will remember that your teachers liked you... What will be remembered is that you murdered and maimed.'

He sentenced him to 'the penalty of death by execution' and told him he had the right to appeal. He will be sent to prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Tsarnaev's remarks came after more than two dozen of his victims addressed him in emotional victim impact statements that detailed how their lives have been forever changed by his actions.

Among them, Bill and Denise Richard, whose eight-year-old son Martin was killed, said that he could have stopped his older brother, who masterminded the attack, at any point.

Liz Norden (left), whose two sons each lost a leg in the bombings, and Heather Abbott (right), who lost the lower part of her left leg, are pictured arriving at the courthouse ahead of the hearing on Wednesday

Heading to the hearing: Boston bombing survivor Erika Brannock, pictured with her mother Carol Downing, walk past death penality demonstrators outside federal court ahead of the sentencing hearing

Boston strong: Rebekah Gregory, who lost her left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, arrives at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston on Wednesday morning for Tsarnaev's sentencing

INSIDE THE INDIANA PRISON WHERE TSARNAEV WILL WAIT TO DIE New home: He will be housed at Terre Haute Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has an automatic appeal for his death sentence, but he will be housed and executed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana - 75 miles west of Indianapolis - where he will live in a tiny cell and given his meals through a hatch. Terre Haute is the only federal death row in the U.S. and previously housed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, who was the first person to be executed there, in 2001. The all-male prison houses 55 prisoners awaiting execution and a total of 1,369 inmates. In the Special Confinement Unit, where death-row inmates are housed, inmates are only let out three times a week, the TribStar reported. Anti-death row advocate Sister Rita Clare Gerardot, told the newspaper that she has heard about conditions through inmates. 'They are in a small cell by themselves,' she said. 'All their meals are pushed through a slot. There is no recreation, but they can go out of their cells three times a week into cages.' In 2008, the ACLU said the prison had 'grossly inadequate' conditions in the area it housed its death row inmates. It said they were routintely denied basic medical care, mental health services, and were subject to continued noise that caused sleep deprivation, Business Insider reported. Advertisement

'He chose to do nothing, to prevent all of this from happening,' Mr Richard said of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. 'He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. We choose love. We choose kindness. We choose peace. This is our response to hate. That's what makes us different from him.'

The family of Krystle Campbell, 29, also addressed their daughter's killer.

'You went down the wrong road,' Krystle's mother, Patricia Campbell, said. 'I know life is hard, but the choices you made were despicable and what you did to my daughter was disgusting.'

Her husband, William, added: 'I'm glad you can't hurt anyone else.'

'Those brothers took away an angel,' said friend Karen McWatters, who held Krystle's hand as she died, the Boston Globe reported. McWatters also lost a leg in the attack. 'You will never understand the impact of her loss. You will never know why she is so desperately missed.'

As she spoke, Tsarnaev, who was dressed in a dark sport jacket and open-collared shirt and still sports bushy hair and a light beard, kept his head down.

'You ruined so many lives that day,' she added. 'Your friends abandoned you… You will die in prison alone.'

In another angry statement, Rebekah Gregory, who lost a leg to the attack, told Tsarnaev to 'listen closely' as she addressed him.

'Terrorists like you.... create mass destruction, she said. 'Do you know what mass destruction does? It brings others together.

'We are Boston Strong. We are America Strong. Choosing to mess with us was a terrible idea.'

MIT Officer Sean Collier's sister, Jen, recounted seeing her parents wailing over her brother's dead body after the 27-year-old was gunned down by the Tsarnaev brothers in his patrol car on April 18.

'I don't know what makes me happy anymore,' she said. 'There is an emptiness that I cannot manage to fill.'

'The defendant he has taken Sean away from me, but he's also taken me away from me,' she added, saying she struggles to explain her life to new people she meets.

'When I'm angry, I'm furious… When I feel joy, I cry, because it is so rare.'

She pointed out that he had such little remorse for killing a child that he went and bought milk after detonating the deadly bombs.

Emotional: MIT Officer Sean Collier's sister, Jen (pictured, called her brother's killer 'a coward and a liar'

Heartbroken: The parents of victim Krystle Campbell, seen front in a court sketch, also spoke to Tsarnae

Karen McWatters, who held Campbell's hand as she passed away, said he 'ruined so many lives that day'

Sentenced to death: Judge O'Toole, seen left, told Tsarnaev he will be remembered for the evil he has done

'He is a coward and a liar,' she said. 'He showed no remorse while his victims stood in front of him... He ran his own brother over with a car. He had no issues shooting mine in the head.

He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. We choose love. We choose kindness. We choose peace. This is our response to hate. That's what makes us different from him Bill Richard, the father of eight-year-old victim Martin Richard

'He spit in the face of the American dream.'

Transit officer Dic Donohue, who suffered serious injuries at the hands of the Tsarnaevs, recalled his heartbreak at watching Collier's funeral from his hospital bed.

He described how he still struggles to run and swim, but added: 'The defendant did not succeed… I'm still standing here.'

Carol Downing, the mother of Erika Brannock and Nicole Gross, who were both seriously injuried, described her guilt at knowing her daughters were hurt as they watched her run. Erika lost a leg and needed 21 surgeries, while Nicole was in the hospital for more than a month. Neither can resume their jobs, she said.

'I was thrown into a mental marathon that tested my abilities for two years,' Downing said through tears. 'I had to be strong for my daughters when I was falling apart.'

Another witness, Michael Chase, described using his belt as a tourniquet for the Richards' daughter, Jane, who lost a leg in the blast.

Strength: Among those giving victim impact statements was Bill and Denise Richard. Their eight-year-old son Martin, right, was killed in the blasts. Their children Jane and Henry are also pictured

Jane also lost her left leg in the bombings. She is pictured with her family as Mayor Martin J. Walsh expressed his condolences during a ceremony commemorating the one year anniversary of the bombing in 2014

'I'm never going to get rid of those images on that street,' he told the court. 'Boylston St. had turned into Baghdad.'

As he spoke about the kindness of strangers since the attack, and how flashbacks have forced him to step back from his role working with children, he refused to address Tsarnaev.

'I don't want to speak to him,' he said. 'We are strong.'

When I feel joy, I cry, because it is so rare MIT Officer Sean Collier's sister, Jen

Of Tsarnaev, Megan Zipin, who has permanent hearing loss, added: 'I came to the first two days of the trial... He sat there blank. I realized I'm the one who's alive. He's already dead.'

Scott Weinberg, a physician from Alabama, described crossing the finishing line just seconds before the blasts.

He now wears hearing aids and is unable to use a stethoscope on patients. His practice is struggling, he said.

He is also getting a divorce as his wife is unable to grasp the trauma he continues to suffer.

'Our voices must be heard, and our injuries are not disappearing,' he said. 'We must not be forgotten by the city of Boston.'

Liz Norden, whose two sons each lost a leg in the marathon, struggled to hold back the tears as she spoke of her 'everlasting agony'.

'We've been through hell and back,' she said. 'Who could have so much anger and so much hate?'

Protests: A group gathers outside the courthouse to slam the death penalty sentence on Wednesday

Speaking out: Protesters against the death penalty walk with signs before the formal sentencing

Arrival: A convoy of law enforcement vehicles brings Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to John Joseph Moakley United States Court House on Wednesday morning for his official sentencing

At the ready: A law enforcement official in heavy gear looks out as the bomber is brought to court

Team: Tsarnaev's defense attorneys Judy Clarke, right, and David Bruck walk towards the courthouse

Henry Borgard, who was accompanied in the courtroom by his service dog, said he has had to drop out of Suffolk University because of PTSD from the attacks. But he said he has forgiven his attacker.

'Boston taught me how to be resilient,' he said. 'Love is and always will be louder.'

I'm the one who's alive. He's already dead Survivor Megan Zipin on Tsarnaev

Jennifer Kauffman, who was standing close to Krystle Campbell, said that she was forced to live off her savings for more than a year after suffering ear injuries and PTSD. She is no longer the same person and cannot trust people, she said.

'Words cannot capture the horrific impact this has had on my life,' she said.

But in an incredible show of compassion, she told Tsarnaev she had forgiven him.

'I forgive you and your brother,' she said. 'My hope and desire is some day soon you'll be brave enough to take responsibility for your actions and forgo all your appeals, so we can all move together in peace.'

Tsarnaev's attorney has previously said he feels remorse for the 2013 attack that claimed three lives, but the public has never heard directly from him before Wednesday.

Remorseful? Tsarnaev, who has never spoken publicly about the attacks, apparently expressed his feelings about his arrest as he stuck up his middle finger to a camera before his arraignment in July 2013

The only sign they had ever received from Tsarnaev, was through an image showing him flashing his middle finger to a camera in his cell before he was arraigned on July 10, 2013. The defiant image was formally entered into evidence and shared across the world.

U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini said the image showed he was 'unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged'.

Love is and always will be louder Survivor Henry Borgard

And in court on Wednesday, he smiled and laughed with his attorney before the hearing got underway.

'He can't possibly have a soul,' survivor Karen McWatters told the court.

Early on Wednesday, a convoy of law enforcement vehicles were seen bringing the convicted killer to the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse. The vehicles were driven by officers in heavy gear.

Outside the courthouse, crowds gathered to protest the death penalty. They held signs reading 'Capital punishment dehumanizes us all' and 'Death penalty promotes killing'.

But the judge was required to impose the death sentence recommended by the jury in May. He is expected to appeal the sentencing.

Killed: Among the victims were eight-year-old Martin Richard, left, and Krystle Campbell, 29, right

Victims: Lingzi Lu, 23, also lost her life while watching the marathon. Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, right, was killed in the days after as the brothers eluded authorities

The 2013 bombings carried out by Tsarnaev and his late brother, Tamerlan, killed three people - Krystle Campbell, 29, Lingzi Lu, 23, and 8-year-old Martin Richard, and injured more than 260, including 18 people who lost legs.

The brothers also killed MIT police officer, Sean Collier, as they eluded authorities in the days after the bombings.

'Your friends have abandoned you. You will die in prison alone Krystle Campbell's friend, Karen McWatters

Tamerlan was killed when his brother hit him with their getaway car during a police shootout in Watertown, Massachusetts.

In a message Tsarnaev scrawled inside a boat he hid in before he was captured, Tsarnaev said the attack was meant as retaliation against the U.S. for its actions in Muslim countries.

During his trial, prosecutors described the ethnic Chechen brothers as adherents of al Qaeda's militant Islamist ideology who wanted to 'punish America' by staging the attack.

The defense made it clear from the first day of the trial that its goal was not to win an acquittal but to save Tsarnaev's life.

'It was him,' attorney Judy Clarke said in her opening statements.

But they tried to portray him as the junior partner in a scheme hatched by his older brother.

Only three people have been executed under the federal death penalty since it was reinstated in 1988, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.