Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon Bomber) Speaks

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Boston (CNN)Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ended his long silence on Wednesday, apologizing for the pain and suffering he caused his victims before a judge formally imposed his death sentence.

"If there is any lingering doubt, let there be no more. I did it, along with my brother," Tsarnaev said, referring to the bombings carried out by him and older brother Tamerlan. "I ask Allah to have mercy on me, my brother and my family."

Tsarnaev, 21, bowed his head and clasped his hands in front as he stood at the defense table. Speaking in a low, slightly accented voice, he expressed remorse but never turned to face his victims.

He said he had come to know their names, faces and ages during his trial, but he did not address any of them by name. Two dozen victims had given powerful victim impact statements earlier in the day.

"Now, 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," Tsarnaev said.

"Allah said in the Quran 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," he said. "I also wish that far more people had a chance to get up there (and speak), but I took them from you."

Addressing the survivors who packed the courtroom, Tsarnaev said he prayed for Allah "to bestow his mercy upon the deceased, those affected in the bombing and their families. I pray for your relief, for your healing, for your well-being, for your strength."

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