Posted on 06/16/23
| News Source: The Hill
The man who killed 11 worshipers in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 was found guilty Friday of federal hate crime charges.
A jury will now decide if Robert Bowers will receive the death penalty for committing the most deadly antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Sentencing is scheduled for June 26.
Bowers, 50, opened fire on worshipers at Tree of Life on the morning of Oct. 17, 2018; an additional two attendees and five police officers were injured in the attack. Bowers surrendered after being shot multiple times by police.
His defense has never claimed his innocence but rather sought to convince the jury to spare his life. His attorneys repeatedly offered a guilty plea on all charges in exchange for life in prison, but federal prosecutors chose to go forward with the trial.
The jury found Bowers guilty on all 63 felony charges, 22 of which can carry the death penalty, including the federal hate crime charges. The trial began in April.
The specific capital offense charges include 11 counts of obstructing free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.
His attorneys argue that he should not be given the death penalty because his motive was not to prevent worship, a key factor for the hate crime charges. The defense has also claimed that Bowers suffers from multiple mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and epilepsy.