Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Jury Finds Gunman Eligible For Death Penalty

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.

Key Facts

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)