Death sentence for synagogue attacker

In US Federal Court in Pittsburgh, a 12-person jury found Bowers eligible for the death penalty.

As the second phase of the hearing on this decision, more evidence will be presented to the jury to make a final decision on whether Bowers should be sentenced to death or life in prison.

If jurors decide Bowers deserves the death penalty, it will be the first federal death sentence handed down during the presidency of Joe Biden, who campaigned to commit to ending the death penalty.

To sentence Bowers to death, members must unanimously agree that aggravating factors outweigh mitigating factors.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Prosecutors demanded the harshest punishment for Bowers, who planned the attack 6 months in advance and said he was sorry he couldn’t kill more Jews, while his lawyers claimed he had mental health problems.

Bowers, now 50, killed 11 people and injured 6 people, including 4 police officers, in an armed attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018.

Bowers was convicted last month of 63 offenses, including obstruction of the free practice of religious belief, resulting in death, the use of firearms to commit murder and hate crimes.