In my opinion, Moussaoui was taunting the judge and jury trying to get a death sentence because he did not want to spend the rest of his life in solitary. Also in my opinion, the judge and jury decided that the life sentence would also be a more harsh punishment and did not want to give him the pleasure of making him a martyr. And finally, if he were on death row he would have spent the rest of his life appealing and making political statements while in relative comfort.