BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN).......What brought Garnell Whitfield to the Robert H. Jackson Federal Courthouse has been his driving force and motivation since May 14, 2022.
Whitfield is there to honor his late mother, Ruth, one of 10 people murdered -- along with three others who were injured - in a racially-motivated mass shooting at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue.
The shooter, Brome County resident Payton Gendron, is facing 27 federal charges in connection with the incident, and potentially he could be facing the death penalty.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the public vetting of potential jurors in federal Judge's Lawrence Vilardo's court room.
Gendron, now 23, was there seated amongst his team of defense lawyers.
""I'm not here for him," Whitfield said. "He is not the center of my attention."
Rather Whitfield is there as part of his personal crusade to thwart white supremacists and hatred of minorities.
Gendron, three years ago, plead guilty to state charges and was convicted to life in prison - plus 90 years - with no chance for parole.
If he is found guilty in the federal case - something his own defense team conceded in court Tuesday - the jury must also determine whether he gets the death penalty or life in prison with no parole.
Jury vetting may take until early November and the federal trial is expected to start in December and could last several months.
"This is not a referendum on race," Vilardo told the prospective jurors Tuesday morning.
Yet, the initial jury pool was comprised of all white men and women.
"In a perfect world, we would not need the death penalty," Whitfield said. "There would be no need for it, but it exists."
Whitfield attending federal case against Tops' mass shooter
Whitfield attending federal case against Tops' mass shooter
