More than four years after 11 Jewish worshippers were fatally shot at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, jury selection got underway in the trial of a Pennsylvania man accused of carrying out the crime in 2018 and whether they would be capable of sentencing him to death.
U.S. District Judge Robert Colville thanked prospective jurors for their service, summarizing the case and describing the trial’s phases. Robert G. Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver from the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin, sat with his attorneys and eyed documents as the judge spoke.
Prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judge spent about 30 minutes questioning the first four prospective jurors called. Most questions centered around the candidates’ willingness to impose the death sentence and, if so, whether they would be open to consider mitigating evidence, including about the defendant’s mental state or childhood.
All four said they could consider a sentence of death or life in prison.
One came out firmly in support of capital punishment, saying “there needs to be repercussions.” Another said a house of worship “should have been a safe place” and that she couldn’t imagine a worse crime. But she also said that after sitting behind Bowers during a previous hearing, she realized ”he’s a person, not a monster.”
The court plans to select 12 jurors and six alternates.
Bowers is charged with 63 counts and if convicted could get the death penalty, a sentence not used at the federal level since 2003. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr reinstated capital punishment in July 2019.
The incident was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE:To receive Pennsylvania funds to rebuild after deadliest antisemitic attack in US
‘An absolute tragedy’
Authorities say that on Oct. 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where members of several local congregations had gathered to mark the Sabbath. There, they say, he entered the building carrying multiple firearms, including an AR-15 rifle and three handguns.
Once inside, according to the indictment, Bowers opened fire, killing 11 people and injuring several others, including several officers who responded to the incident and were working to rescue survivors.
In the aftermath, veteran Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich emotionally characterized the crime scene as “one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” while then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf called the situation “an absolute tragedy.”
Bowers had been originally charged with 44 counts but a superseding indictment added 13 violations of the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and related weapons offenses.
In 2019, he offered to enter a guilty plea in return for a life sentence but was denied. He’s been behind bars at Butler County Prison awaiting trial ever since.
Prosecutors allege that Bowers posted antisemitic statements online, intended to terrorize Jewish communities, targeted synagogue worshippers, and failed to show remorse. He is also said to have told police after his arrest that he “wanted all Jews to die” and believed they “were committing genocide to his people.”
Site to be revived with expanded focus
According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents in the United States rose to an all-time high of 3,697 in 2022, an increase of 36% over the previous year.
In late 2021, Wolf announced that the state would award $6.6 million in state funds to the Tree of Life synagogue to rebuild. The synagogue has remained unused since the massacre.
According to the campaign overseeing the rebuilding, the new site, designed by New York architect Daniel Libeskind, will be resurrected as a multipurpose facility that in addition to the synagogue will include a memorial, a museum, education, and event space and The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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