Jury sentences gunman from 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting to death
"This is a case that calls for the most severe punishment under the law – the death penalty."
A federal jury decided to sentence Robert Bowers, responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation, located in Pittsburgh, to the death penalty in 2018. The man killed 11 people and wounded seven others in the massacre, which is described as one of the worst anti-Semitic attacks in the United States.
The death penalty was a unanimous decision. Otherwise, he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The verdict came on the second day of deliberations. Bowers was sentenced on 63 counts.
The final phase of the trial focused on aggravating factors. The prosecutors' allegations were based on the fact that Bowers committed the act because of his hatred of Jews. In addition, they argued that he did not regret what he did.
"He turned an ordinary Jewish Sabbath into the worst antisemitic mass shooting in US history, and he is proud of it. This is a case that calls for the most severe punishment under the law – the death penalty," U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan said in closing arguments on Monday, which were reported by CNN.
The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was a mass murder that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue on October 27, 2018. Robert Bowers made anti-Semitic social media posts toward Jewish organizations in the weeks leading up to the shooting. He also made references to the white genocide conspiracy theory.