The man convicted of carrying out the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, ultimately killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, could face the death penalty.
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00:00The gunman who opened fire and killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue has been found guilty
00:05of 63 charges, including federal hate crimes. The conviction makes Robert Bowers, the 50-year-old
00:10truck driver with a history of anti-Semitic views, eligible for the death penalty. The
00:15same 12 jurors will now meet to decide whether or not he gets that sentence. Back in 2018,
00:20after making repeated anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant remarks online, Bowers walked
00:25into the Tree of Life synagogue and began shooting. He killed 11 congregants and injured
00:307 other people, most of whom were elderly, making it the deadliest anti-Semitic attack
00:35in U.S. history. Among the 63 convictions were 11 capital counts of obstruction of free exercise of
00:41religious beliefs resulting in death and 11 capital counts of use of a firearm to commit
00:47murder during and in relation to a crime of violence. The 12 jurors must unanimously decide
00:53to sentence Bowers to death. If not, he will face life in prison without parole. Bowers'
00:58lawyers have argued that he suffers from mental illness, including schizophrenia,
01:02and that a sentence of death would violate the Constitution.