Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has apologized to the victims and survivors of the 2013 terror attack.

The 21-year-old Tsarnaev spoke Wednesday before he was formally sentenced to death. It was the first time he has spoken in court.

Three people were killed and more than 260 others injured when twin bombs exploded at the finish line of the marathon. Tsarnaev was also convicted of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days later.

“I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done — irreparable damage,” the 21-year-old college student said, breaking more than two years of public silence.

To the victims, he said: “I pray for your relief, for your healing.”

It was a five-minute address peppered with religious references and praise of Allah. He paused several times, looking as if he was trying to remain composed.

He stood and faced the judge while speaking, but spoke of the victims.

The apology came after Tsarnaev listened impassively for about three hours as a procession of victims and their loved ones lashed out at him for his “cowardly” and “disgusting” acts.

“He can’t possibly have had a soul to do such a horrible thing,” said Karen Rand McWatters, who lost a leg in the attack and whose best friend, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, was killed.

Campbell’s mother, Patricia Campbell, was the first person to address the court. She looked across the room at Tsarnaev, seated about 20 feet away, and spoke directly to him.

“What you did to my daughter is disgusting,” she said. “I don’t know what to say to you. I think the jury did the right thing.”

Twenty-four people in all gave so-called victim impact statements at the sentencing in federal court.

The outcome was a foregone conclusion: U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. was required under law to impose the jury’s death sentence for the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260.

The only real suspense was whether Tsarnaev would say anything when given a chance to speak near the end of the proceedings.

Until Wednesday, has said almost nothing publicly since his arrest more than two years ago, offering neither remorse nor explanation.

(AP)