A federal jury has announced that the gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is eligible for the death penalty. This sets the stage for further evidence and testimony to determine whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison. The government seeks capital punishment for Robert Bowers, who expressed hatred towards Jewish people online before carrying out the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue. The jury agreed with prosecutors that Bowers, who spent six months planning the attack and regrets not killing more people, had the intent to kill according to the law.
Bowers’ defense argued that his ability to form intent was impaired due to mental illness and a delusional belief that killing Jews would stop a potential genocide of white people. Despite his lack of emotion as the verdict was read, the jurors found that Bowers intended to kill, planned the attack meticulously, and targeted vulnerable and elderly victims. The focus of the testimony will now shift to the impact of Bowers’ crimes on survivors and the loved ones of the victims. If the jurors determine that Bowers deserves the death penalty, it would be the first federal death sentence imposed during Joe Biden’s presidency. Although Biden campaigned to end capital punishment, federal prosecutors continue to pursue it in certain cases.
At the age of 50, Bowers, a truck driver from suburban Baldwin, killed members of three congregations who were gathered at the Tree of Life synagogue on October 27, 2018. In addition to the 11 deaths, he wounded two worshippers and five police officers. Last month, Bowers was convicted on 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death. His attorneys proposed a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence, but prosecutors rejected it in favor of taking the case to trial and pursuing the death penalty. The majority of the victims’ families supported this decision.
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