CLEVELAND, OHIO — The man who killed 11 women and dumped their remains around his property apologized Tuesday in front of relatives of his victims and the jury that will decide whether to recommend the death penalty.

“I’m sorry,” Anthony Sowell, 51, said in a hushed courtroom as he leaned forward during a 30-minute unsworn statement.

The prosecution wasn’t allowed to cross-examine Sowell, leaving unspoken the question of why he killed the victims and attacked three other women who survived and testified against him.

After apologizing in a gravelly voice that grew stronger, Sowell added, “I know that might not sound like a lot.”

Some relatives of victims wiped away tears as Sowell made his first detailed public comments since his arrest nearly two years ago. Jurors heard his voice earlier in the trial when the prosecution played a lengthy videotaped police interrogation.