Dzhokhar Tsarnaev addressed his victims in court today. Here’s what he said

BOSTON — It's official. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been formally sentenced to death.

In April, the 21-year-old Tsarnaev was convicted for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing two years earlier, which killed three people and injured 260. Last month, a jury unanimously decided that he should receive the death penalty. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. accepted their recommendation on Wednesday and sentenced Tsarnaev to die.

More from GlobalPost: Boston Marathon bombing: Why did they do it?

The sentence was a formality. Federal law requires judges to accept the sentencing decisions of juries. There were no surprises when it came to Tsarnaev's punishment, and the only thing that remained unknown to the judge, jury, victims, and public was whether Tsarnaev would speak.

He did. Here's what he said:

"Thank you your honor for giving me the opportunity to speak. I’d like to begin in the name of Allah, the exalted, the most gracious …

This is the blessed month of Ramadan and is the month of mercy from Allah to his creation. I want to ask forgiveness from Allah and his creation. I want to express gratitude to Allah and his creation.”

It is a month during which hearts change. Indeed a month of many lessons … If you have not thanked the people, you have not thanked God. So I’d first like to thank my attorneys, those who sit at this table, the table behind me and many more behind the scenes. They’ve done much good for me and my family. Made my life in the last two years very easy. I cherish their company, their love … I’d like to thank those who took the time out of their daily life to come and testify on my behalf despite the pressure. I’d like to thank the jury for their service and the court.

If you are not merciful to Allah’s creation, Allah will not be merciful to you. I’d like to now apologize to the victims and the survivors.

Immediately after the bombing, in which I am guilty of, if there’s any lingering doubt about that. I did do that 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 were given faces. And they had hearts and souls.

Allah says in the Koran that no soul is given more than they can bear. You told us how horrible it was. How horrendous it was the thing I put you through. I know that there isn’t enough time in the day to (apologize).

I wish that four more people had the chance to get up there, but I took that from them. I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken. For the suffering I caused you, for the damage I’ve done, irreparable damage.

My religion is Islam. The God I worship beside no other God is Allah. And I pray to Allah to bestow his mercy on those affected by the bombing and their families. With every hardship … 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 …

Praise be to Allah."

Take his apology for what you will. But the last word belonged to O'Toole, and he was about as dismissive of Tsarnaev's statement as you could imagine.:

“This was an extraordinary case. Those of us who sat through it saw things we will never forget. Whenever your name is mentioned, what will be remembered is the evil you have done. No one will remember that your teachers were fond of you … that your friends found you funny … that you were a talented athlete.

What will be remembered is that you murdered and maimed innocent people, and that you did it willfully and intentionally. You did it on purpose … you had to forget your own humanity, the common humanity you shared with your brother Martin, your sister Lingzi Lu …

It is tragic, for your victims and now for you … surely someone who believes God smiles on and rewards the killing of innocents believes in a cruel God. That is not, and cannot be, the God of Islam.”