A federal judge is set to formally sentence Robert Bowers to death on Thursday for the horrific 2018 attack at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where he killed 11 worshippers in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, as reported by the New York Times.
The sentencing hearing follows a unanimous jury decision to impose the death penalty on Bowers, who was found guilty on 63 counts, including 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death.
During the hearing at the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, relatives of Bowers’ victims are expected to address Judge Robert Colville. The judge is bound to hand down the sentence endorsed by the jury.
Throughout the trial, Bowers’ defense lawyers did not contest his involvement in the attack during Sabbath morning services. He methodically shot everyone he found in the synagogue using a semiautomatic rifle and three pistols.
The defense argued that Bowers suffered from lifelong mental illness and delusions, seeking to spare him from the death penalty and instead advocating for a life sentence without release. However, the jury disagreed and opted for the death penalty.
During the trial, survivors of the attack testified, and evidence of Bowers’ antisemitism, including numerous anti-Jewish posts on a far-right website before the attack, was presented to the jury.
Regarding Bowers’ execution, uncertainty remains due to the U.S. Department of Justice’s moratorium on federal executions while reviewing the death penalty, which President Biden pledged to abolish during his presidential campaign.
Bowers will become one of 41 men on federal death row, housed near the U.S. government’s execution chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana.
