|
Last month, the jury found Bowers, 50, guilty of dozens of
federal hate crimes in the trial at the U.S. District Court in
Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Federal prosecutors had
charged Bowers with 63 counts, including 11 counts of
obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in
death.
In the first phase of the sentencing portion of the trial, the
jury briefly deliberated on Wednesday afternoon and then again
for about two hours on Thursday morning before reaching their
decision that Bowers was eligible for the death penalty, KDKA
TV, a local CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, reported.
In the final phase of the sentencing portion of the trial, both
prosecutors and defense attorneys will have the chance to make
arguments on whether Bowers deserves the death penalty. Victims
and families of those killed in the shooting will also have the
opportunity to speak to the court. The jury will then deliberate
Bowers' fate.
In federal capital cases, a unanimous vote by jurors is required
in order to sentence a defendant to death, and the judge is
obligated to abide by the jury's decision. If jurors are unable
to reach a unanimous decision, the offender is instead sentenced
to life in prison without the possibility of release.
On June 16, the jury found him guilty on all counts, after
defense lawyers accepted that he planned and carried out the
attack. Jurors heard testimony from some of the survivors of the
attack and evidence of Bowers' antisemitism, including multiple
posts attacking Jews made on a far-right website in the months
leading up to the attack.
Defense lawyers argued that Bowers suffers from major mental
illness, including schizophrenia, and so lacked the necessary
level of intent.
In their arguments in support of making Bowers eligible for the
death penalty, prosecutors said that he had the necessary intent
and premeditation to qualify for the sentence. They presented
witnesses and evidence to show he carefully planned the attack
and deliberately targeted vulnerable elderly worshipers.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; additional reporting
by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Tim Ahmann and Bill
Berkrot)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
