Jury selection begins over 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack
Source: Associated Press
Jury selection begins over 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack
By PETER SMITH and MARK SCOLFORO
April 24, 2023
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the federal death penalty trial of a truck driver accused of shooting to death 11 Jewish worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Robert G. Bowers, who is from the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin, faces 63 counts in the Oct. 27, 2018, attack at the Tree of Life synagogue, where members of three Jewish congregations were holding Sabbath activities. The charges include 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.
Bowers, 50, could get the death sentence if convicted. He offered to plead guilty in return for a life sentence, but federal prosecutors turned him down even though Joe Biden pledged while campaigning for president three years ago that, if elected, he would work to end the federal death penalty. Bowers’ lawyers also recently said he has schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pittsburgh-synagogue-mass-shooting-trial-e89661bba2d7e3beb48b6420d72ddb35
