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Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death after killing 11 worshipers

A judge will impose the sentence on Robert Bowers, 50, at a later time.

Published: August 2, 2023 12:23pm

Updated: August 2, 2023 12:43pm

A federal jury on Wednesday recommended the death penalty for the gunman responsible for storming a Pittsburgh synagogue and killing 11 worshipers in 2018.

A judge will impose the sentence on Robert Bowers, 50, at a later time, according to The Associated Press.

Bowers, a truck driver from Baldwin, Pennsylvania, posted online about his white supremacist ideology and his hatred of Jews before planning and carrying out the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue during Sabbath services.

The jury that found Bowers guilty on 63 charges is the same one that recommended for him to be put to death, in-line with requests from prosecutors.

During the trial, Bowers' attorneys did not contest his guilt but instead focused on trying to save his life by arguing he had an untreated mental illness.

The victims were Rose Mallinger, 97; Melvin Wax, 87; Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband, Sylvan Simon, 86; Joyce Fienberg, 75; Dan Stein, 71; Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Irving Younger, 69; Richard Gottfried, 65 and brothers David Rosenthal, 54, and Cecil Rosenthal, 59.

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