Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial: Robert Bowers formally sentenced to death

PITTSBURGH — A judge on Thursday formally sentenced the man behind the deadliest attack on Jewish people in America to death, one day after a jury recommended the sentence.

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Jurors deliberated for about 10 hours before reaching their sentencing verdict in the trial of Robert Bowers. The jury earlier convicted Bowers, 50, on dozens of charges related to the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, including 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death.

Eleven people died and several others were injured in the Oct. 27, 2018 shooting.

Judge imposes death sentence for Bowers

Update 1 p.m. EDT Aug. 3: A judge on Thursday formally sentenced Bowers to death after a jury recommended the sentence one day earlier, The Associated Press and WPXI reported.

“I have nothing specific that I care to say to Mr. Bowers,” U.S. District Judge Robert Colville said in court before issuing the formal sentence, according to the AP. “I am however convinced there is nothing I could say to him that might be meaningful.”

Bowers to be formally sentenced Thursday

Update 10:10 a.m. EDT Aug. 3: A judge is expected to formally sentence Bowers to death on Thursday after families and friends of victims get their chance to address the court, WPXI reported.

On Wednesday, survivors of the shooting praised jurors for recommending a death sentence for Bowers. Andrea Wedner, who held her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, as she took her last breath on Oct. 27. 2018, said the sentence “is a testament to our justice system, and a message to all, that this type of heinous act will not be tolerated,” according to WPXI. Wedner was shot and suffered severe injuries to her wrist and arm, the news station reported.

Friends, family, officials react to Bowers’ sentencing

Update 1:40 p.m. EDT Aug. 2: Lawmakers and people impacted by the 2018 Tree of Life shooting shared reactions Wednesday to the jury’s recommendation that Bowers be sentenced to death.

“Today’s decision and the pending sentences on the non-capital crimes mark the closing chapter of an emotional, months-long trial,” Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Meyers said in a statement obtained by WPXI.

“In the years we have spent waiting for this trial to take place, many of us have been stuck in neutral. It was a challenge to move forward with the looming specter of a murder trial. Now that the trial is nearly over and the jury has recommended a death sentence, it is my hope that we can begin to heal and move forward.”

The family of Bernice and Sylvan Simon, two of the people killed in the shooting, shared their “extreme gratitude to the entire jury for their service during this very long and arduous trial,” according to WPXI.

“In the course of performing their civic duty, they unselfishly endured great personal sacrifice, time away from family, friends, and work; as well as being disconnected from many everyday activities,” the family said in a statement. “They patiently and very attentively listened to all of the testimony and scrutinized the voluminous amount of evidence presented throughout the entire trial. We fully respect their verdict and decisions.”

Jurors sided with prosecutors seeking death penalty

Update 12:35 p.m. EDT Aug. 2: The jury agreed with five aggravating factors put forth by prosecutors and agreed with some — but not all — of the 115 mitigating factors presented by the defense, CNN reported.

Among the aggravating factors, prosecutors said Bowers killed uniquely vulnerable people, including a woman in her 90s and three people in their 90s — victims who couldn’t run away or fight back — according to The Associated Press. They also highlighted the careful planning that went into the shooting, the AP reported.

The jury rejected some key arguments made by the defense, including the assertion that Bowers had schizophrenia and “committed the offense under mental or emotional disturbance,” CNN reported.

Jury recommends death sentence for Bowers

Update 12:20 p.m. EDT Aug. 2: Jurors unanimously found a death sentence appropriate for Bowers, WPXI reported.

Original report: Jurors deliberated for about seven hours on Tuesday and for just under three hours Wednesday before reaching their verdict in the final phase of Robert Bowers’ trial, WPXI reported. They got the case Monday after attorneys for the defense and prosecution both rested their cases.

In June, jurors found Bowers guilty of dozens of charges related to the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting, including 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death. Last month, they determined that Bowers, 50, was eligible for the death penalty.

To qualify for the death penalty, the jury had to determine that Bowers was 18 years old or older and had intent. They also had to find that his case included one or more aggravating factors, according to WPXI.

Defense attorneys argued that Bowers had significant mental health issues that justified a life sentence, the news station reported. Prosecutors said Bowers carried out the killings at Tree of Life with a clear, calculated plan, according to WPXI.

On Monday, defense attorney Judy Clarke told jurors that Bowers struggled with instability in his home life as a child and dealt with mental health issues as an adult. She urged the jury to sentence Bowers to life.

“We’ve tried to tell you who he struggled to be,” she said, according to WPXI. “We want you to know who Rob Bowers is and can be. He could be more than the most unimaginable thing he’s done.”

Prosecutors asked jurors to sentence Bowers to death, noting that after carrying out the deadliest attack on Jewish people in America, he has not shown remorse.

“Hold him accountable for his decisions and his actions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Monday, according to WPXI.

Check back for more on this developing story.

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