The gunman accused of mass shooting inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and wounding six others using an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, was sentenced today. Friday. A Pennsylvania jury found Robert Bowers50 years old, guilty of all 63 counts, including hate crimes and civil rights crimes, responsible for the deadliest anti-Semitism attack in US history.
Now the trial moves into the penalty phase, as prosecutors seek the death penalty.
Bowers’ guilt was never questioned — his attorney admitted from the outset that he was responsible for the deadly mass shooting — and jurors needed about five hours to reach a verdict. decision. During three weeks of emotional testimony, prosecutors described Bowers’ sinister anti-Semitism, as evidenced by his prolific online behavior, suggesting he was “dedicated to the exterminate the Jews,” as one DOJ prosecutor put it.
Bowers’ felony counts include 11 counts of “obstructing the free exercise of religious belief resulting in death” and 11 counts of “hate crimes resulting in death.”
“I am grateful to God for getting us where we are today,” Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, survivors of the attack, said in a written statement. “And I am grateful that law enforcement put in danger to rescue me, and the United States Attorney for standing in court to defend my right to pray.”
As the trial moves to the next phase, expected to last more than a month, jurors will have to decide whether Bowers should be sentenced to death or life without parole. Bowers’ attorneys initially sought a plea deal that would secure him a life sentence without the possibility of parole, but prosecutors refused and took the case to trial to seek the death penalty.
Most of the families of the shooting victims supported the decision, although one of the Tree of Life churches sent a letter to the then Attorney General. Bill Barr asked him to seek a plea agreement, which they argued “would prevent the attacker from attracting attention and the public would inevitably come with a trial, while also eliminating any possibility of trauma.” any other injury that may result from a lengthy trial and appeal. The rabbi of another congregation living at the synagogue wrote to Barr with a similar request, calling the death penalty a “cruel form of justice” and citing evidence that religious traditions Jews opposed the death penalty.
Bowers’ defensive team consists of Judy Clarke, a lawyer known for defending serial killers faces the death penalty. Clarke represented one of the Boston Marathon bombers who received the death penalty, as did Unabomber. Ted Kaczynski and the Arizona shooter who killed six people and wounded the then-Congressman Gabrielle Giffordsboth avoided the death penalty.
