Topline
A jury in Pennsylvania on Thursday found Robert Bowers, the man convicted of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, eligible for the death penalty, setting up a sentencing phase to a months-long trial over the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history.
A jury opened deliberations on Wednesday on whether a man convicted of killing 11 people at a … [+]
Key Facts
The jury went into deliberations on Wednesday to decide whether Bowers had acted intentionally and was in a clear mental state when he fatally shot 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, and weighed whether at least one aggravating factor applied to the attack, including by creating a grave risk of death or substantially planning the shooting.
Bowers, 50, had already been found guilty of the fatal shooting last month, and faces the death penalty or life in prison.
Prosecutor Soo Song, who is seeking the death penalty for Bowers, claimed in her closing arguments on Wednesday that Bowers “intended to hunt down and kill every Jew he could find,” claiming Bowers was level-headed and not influenced by any delusions when he carried out the shooting.
Song also called the attack “pre-planned and premeditated,” saying Bowers boasted of his committing “the worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history.”
Bowers’ defense attorneys didn’t deny Bowers was the gunman in the attack, but has claimed throughout the trial he was under “delusional beliefs,” arguing he suffered from mental illness and should be spared the death penalty.
What To Watch For
Bowers’ sentencing. The jury now moves to the trial’s final phase, known as the sentencing selection. In that phase, the 12 members will consider whether or not to recommend the death penalty, which could last several weeks, CNN reported.
Key Background
Bowers carried out the shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, opening fire on a crowd of worshipers using an AR-15 style rifle, leaving 11 people dead and seven wounded, including five police officers. Last month, a jury found Bowers guilty on 63 charges, including 11 counts of hate crimes causing death, 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a violent crime, and 11 counts of obstruction free religious exercise resulting in death.
Tangent
The attack was the deadliest attacks on Jewish people in U.S. history, and one of 336 mass shootings in 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive, including the deadly attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when 17 students and school staff members were killed.
Further Reading
Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter Found Guilty For 2018 Mass Killing That Left 11 Dead (Forbes)
Jurors begin deliberations to decide whether the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman is eligible for the death penalty (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/07/13/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-jury-finds-gunman-eligible-for-death-penalty/