Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death

A memorial outside the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 30, 2018. WHITE HOUSE/Andrea Hanks

Aug. 7 (ZFJ) — Robert Bowers, 50, was sentenced to death by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Colville on Thursday, Aug. 3, for killing 11 congregants, wounding two others, and injuring five police officers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“I have nothing specific that I care to say to Mr. Bowers,” Colville said, according to The Associated Press. “I am however convinced there is nothing I could say to him that might be meaningful.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 2, a federal jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for Bowers for hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death.

On June 16, after three weeks of hearing evidence, the jury convicted Bowers of all 63 counts, including hate crimes charges and using a firearm to commit murder.

The jury found him eligible for the death penalty on July 13 and reached its final verdict after a sentencing hearing from July 17 to July 31.

The jury concluded that Bowers “committed the offenses after substantial planning and premeditation.” It also unanimously found that he targeted the synagogue “to maximize the devastation” of Jewish communities and that he “demonstrated a lack of remorse” for his crimes.

Jurors recognized that he had a troubled childhood but were not convinced by the defense’s argument that he committed the shooting because he was delusional.

For the non-capital charges, Bowers was sentenced to many life sentences without the possibility of release.

“The damage caused by antisemitism cannot be understated, just as the tragic loss of the eleven victims cannot be measured,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

On Oct. 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the Tree of Life Synagogue, where the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light Jewish congregations were engaging in religious worship.

Bowers entered the building with three Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle and opened fire, killing 11 worshippers, critically injuring two, and wounding five responding police officers. An additional 12 congregants escaped physical injury.

Prior to committing the attack, Bowers made many online posts expressing “violently antisemitic beliefs,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Hate crimes like this one inflict irreparable pain on individual victims and their loved ones and lead entire communities to question their very belonging,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

This case marks the first time the DOJ secured a death sentence under President Joe Biden. It previously sought the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, who committed an ISIS-inspired van attack in NYC, but did not succeed.

Bowers will not be executed any time soon as he appeals his case. Furthermore, on July 1, 2021, the DOJ imposed a moratorium on federal executions. Biden promised in his 2020 campaign to end the use of the death penalty.

The Tree of Life Synagogue building has remained closed since the shooting and will be converted to a memorial and museum.

The case is United States of America v. Robert Bowers, Criminal No. 18-292.

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