( CNN ) -- A U.S. soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi family spoke out for the first time Thursday , issuing a public apology for his crimes . Former U.S. soldier Steven Green got life in prison after being convicted of murdering four Iraqis . Steven Green , who escaped the death penalty this month , told relatives of the victims that he is `` truly sorry for what I did in Iraq . '' `` I helped to destroy a family and end the lives of four of my fellow human beings , and I wish that I could take it back , but I can not , '' Green said , reading a statement at a victim impact hearing . `` And , as inadequate as this apology is , it is all I can give you . '' The family refused to accept the apology . Green was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Kentucky of raping a 14-year-old girl and murdering her , her parents and her 6-year-old sister in the town of Yusufiya , about 20 miles south of Baghdad , in 2006 . A jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty , which means the judge is required under law to impose a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole . Green will be sentenced September 4 , but the victim impact hearing was held Thursday so surviving members of the al-Janabi family could testify before they return to Iraq . They decried Green 's sentence and testified about how the heinous crime had shattered their lives and how it will haunt them always . Green said that he knows `` you wish I was dead , and I do not hold that against you . If I was in your place , I am convinced beyond any doubt that I would feel the same way . '' He added , `` I know that I have done evil , and I fear that the wrath of the Lord will come upon me on that day . But , I hope that you and your family at least can find some comfort in God 's justice . '' The wailing family matriarch , Hajia al-Janabi , lunged at Green as she left the witness stand , denouncing him as a coward , a criminal and a stigma on the United States , according to Louisville 's Courier-Journal newspaper . Security officers restrained the distressed woman , the newspaper said . Another family member , Mahdi al-Janabi , said Green had lost the ability to distinguish between terrorists and Iraqi civilians . Green was tried in a civilian court in Paducah , Kentucky , because he had been discharged from the Army by the time his crimes surfaced . He was the last of five soldiers who served in the 101st Airborne Division , based at Fort Campbell , Kentucky , to be convicted for the crimes and their subsequent cover-up . The others -- Spec . James Barker , Sgt . Paul Cortez , Pfc . Jesse Spielman and Pfc . Bryan Howard -- received sentences ranging from 27 months to 110 years , with the possibility of parole in 10 years in the most severe cases . Green said he now sees the Iraq war as `` intrinsically evil , because killing is intrinsically evil . '' He was sorry , he said , that he ever had anything to do with either .
`` I wish that I could take it back , '' says man convicted in 2006 attack . Steven Green must serve life in prison without parole . Score: 6 Matriarch lunges at Green while leaving witness stand .