OAN’s Geraldyn Berry
1:09 PM – Friday, June 16, 2023
In a decisive verdict delivered on Friday, Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers was found guilty on all counts related to the tragic 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that left 11 people dead and six wounded.
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According to authorities, among the victims were Holocaust survivors.
Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver from the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin, faced a total of 63 charges to which he was found guilty on 11 counts of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, a capital offense punishable by death. In addition, he was found guilty on 11 counts of willfully causing bodily injury because of actual or perceived religion resulting in the death, and 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder in relation to a crime of violence. Some of the charges carry a potential death sentence.
The jury reportedly deliberated for five hours over two days. In 2019, Bowers had made an offer to plead guilty, seeking to avoid the death penalty. However, the prosecutors rejected his proposition.
On October 27, 2018, Bowers invaded the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which had been hosting three congregations, Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light, for weekly Shabbat services. Armed with a Colt AR-15, and three Glock .357s, police said Robert Bowers burst into the Tree of Life synagogue shouting “All Jews must die” before firing over a 100 rounds, shooting 11 people dead and wounded six. The gunman was shot three times before he surrendered and was arrested.
During her opening remarks in May, Judy Clarke, the defense attorney, acknowledged Bowers was the gunman, saying he “shot every person he saw… and injured first responders who came to their rescue.”
Prior to the tragedy, according to the prosecution, Bowers had shared and uploaded information on his social media that was both antisemitic and white nationalist. He has also lauded the Holocaust and Hitler.
On April 24th, at the beginning of the death penalty trial, His lawyers claimed that Bowers suffers from “schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments.”
In a criminal complaint, Bowers informed detectives after his detention that he intended to murder Jews. They said he also expressed hatred for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a nonprofit humanitarian group that helps refugees and asylum seekers. Bowers allegedly targeted Tree of Life because of its membership’s support for refugees.
On Thursday, New Light Congregation released a statement claiming that Bowers had been “indiscriminate in his task, shooting both worshippers and police officers.”
“There can be no forgiveness. Forgiveness requires two components: that it is offered by the person who commits the wrong and is accepted by the person who was wronged,” the congregation’s statement reads. “The shooter has not asked – and the dead cannot accept.”
The synagogue shooting is considered to be the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Jurors will reportedly begin deliberation on whether Bowers should be sentenced to death beginning on June 26th.
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