Jury Convicts Man in Killing of 11 in Pittsburgh Synagogue
The primary objective for the defense, as conveyed in court filings leading up to trial, has been to avoid a death sentence. Lawyers for Mr. Bowers made offers to plead guilty to all counts in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole, but the Justice Department rejected those offers.
In the first phase of the trial, defense lawyers raised questions about Mr. Bowers’s motives and intent, and whether the evidence presented by the government satisfied the elements of some of the federal charges. They also suggested that his state of mind may be a key part of their arguments in the penalty phase.
“How and why did this man, who up until Oct. 27, 2018, had lived a solitary and law-abiding life, wreak the havoc and destruction that he did?” Elisa Long, a federal public defender who is representing Mr. Bowers, said in her closing argument.
The verdict on Friday came after three weeks of testimony, including chilling accounts of worshipers who survived the mass shooting huddling in closets or lying near death in a hallway, as Mr. Bowers stalked the Tree of Life synagogue with three handguns and a semiautomatic rifle. Three congregations were meeting for services in the building that morning: Tree of Life, New Light and Dor Hadash. Members of each were among the people killed or wounded by Mr. Bowers.
“We were filled with terror,” said Andrea Wedner, who recounted lying on the floor of a chapel, her right arm shattered by bullets, trying to comfort her dying 97-year-old mother. “It’s indescribable.”
Source: The New York Times
