PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A death sentence has been handed down by a federal jury for the gunman who stormed a synagogue in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and killed 11 worshippers in 2018.
"We are grateful to the jury for their time, to the prosecution team for their meticulous process to seek justice for victims and, while we are of the belief the death penalty should be used sparingly, we are also of the belief that there is no redemption for the perpetrator who committed this heinous act,” said Michael Balaban, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Robert Bowers, 50, took to the internet, spewing hatred of Jews and white supremacist beliefs before coming to the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and committing one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in the U.S., shooting members of three congregations who had gathered for Sabbath worship and study.
"This Pittsburgh attacker who joined the rising tide of violent white supremacy was motivated by a hatred of Jews and immigrants and was apparently spurred to action in part by online conspiracy theories that do still proliferate today and we need to know that white supremacy is a global terror threat,” said Andrew Goretsky, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League’s Philadelphia office.
“It targets Blacks, Jews, Latinos and all others whose very existence is regarded as a threat to the white world order."
In the hours following the shooting, community members were seen crying, consoling each other, praying and singing. Stone markers and flowers were placed outside the synagogue in honor of the victims.
According to AP News, two worshippers and five responding police officers were wounded in the shooting.
In total, 11 people died:
— Rose Mallinger, 97
— Joyce Fienberg, 75
— Richard Gottfried, 65
— Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66
— David Rosenthal, 54
— Cecil Rosenthal, 59
— Bernice Simon, 84
— Sylvan Simon, 86
— Dan Stein, 71
— Melvin Wax, 87
— Irving Younger, 69
In June, Bowers was found guilty on 63 federal counts. A judge must now formally impose the sentence on Bowers. That is set to take place Thursday.
“Today closes a painful chapter in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, but our work to honor the victims, and to root out antisemitism, must never end,” wrote U.S. Senator Bob Casey in a statement.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said he hopes today’s sentencing decision is a step toward justice and healing for the families of the victims, the survivors of the attack, and the broader Jewish community in Pittsburgh and across the country.
Will Bowers be executed?
A formal death sentencing is expected Thursday, but it is unclear whether an execution will be carried out.
In 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a moratorium on federal executions, but his justice department has pushed to uphold death sentences in select cases, like the Boston Marathon bombing.
The moratorium under the Biden administration came after federal executions ramped up under former President Donald Trump.
Bowers is poised to join Kaboni Savage on the list of Pennsylvanians facing federal execution. Savage was a Philadelphia drug dealer who was sentenced to death in 2013 for firebombing a rowhome, killing two adults and four children.
Related
Federal death penalty sentences fall outside of any Pennsylvania specific policies.
The most recent state execution in Pennsylvania happened in July 1999.
Gov. Tom Wolf issued a moratorium on state executions in 2015.
Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would not issue any state execution warrants during his term in office.