Jurors who convicted the gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history began hearing arguments Monday on whether he should be put to death.
More than a week after convicting a gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, jurors began hearing arguments in federal court Monday about whether he should receive the death penalty for killing 11 worshippers inside a Pittsburgh synagogue.
From the beginning, the punishment that Bowers will receive - a death sentence or life in prison without parole - has been the only question in the case, as his own attorneys admit he carried out the 2018 attack and offered only a token defense at trial. President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would work to end capital punishment at the federal level and in states that still use it, and Attorney General Merrick Garland has paused executions to review policies and procedures. But federal prosecutors continue to work to uphold already-issued death sentences and, in some cases, to pursue the death penalty at trial for crimes that are eligible, as in Bowers' case.
Bowers' attorneys had offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence without possibility of parole, but prosecutors rejected that offer. Most but not all victims' relatives support seeking the death penalty. Prosecutors have signaled they plan to show several aggravating factors - that Bowers undertook substantial preparation and premeditation, preyed on vulnerable persons , killed multiple people and put others at grave risk of death.University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris predicted the jury will likely find him eligible for the death penalty, given the overwhelming evidence involved.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jurors who convicted the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will now weigh a potential death sentenceJurors who convicted the gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history began hearing arguments Monday on whether he should be put to death.
Read more »
Jurors who convicted the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will now weigh a potential death sentenceJurors who convicted the gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history began hearing arguments Monday on whether he should be put to death.
Read more »
Jurors who convicted the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will now weigh a potential death sentenceJurors who convicted the gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history began hearing arguments Monday on whether he should be put to death.
Read more »
Trying to save his life, lawyers for Pittsburgh synagogue gunman argue he is mentally illJurors who convicted the gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history are hearing arguments on whether he should be put to death
Read more »
Trying to save his life, lawyers for Pittsburgh synagogue gunman argue he is mentally illHe killed 11 worshippers and injured others in an attack on three congregations meeting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2018.
Read more »
Trying to save his life, lawyers for Pittsburgh synagogue gunman argue he is mentally illThe sentencing phase of Robert Bowers' trial is expected to last at least four weeks.
Read more »