Pittsburgh gunman found eligible for death penalty

Robert Bowers shot and killed 11 people at Pittsburgh synagogue and injured several more

A jury has found a gunman who murdered 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue eligible for the death penalty.

Robert Bowers, 50, was found guilty last month for the October 2018 attack.

This was the second stage of the trial. It now moves on to its final phase, sentencing selection.

The same jury will have to decide if Bowers should receive life in prison or be sentenced to death for carrying out the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history.

The panel will return on Monday for the final trial phase. A vote to execute him must be unanimous by all 12 jurors.

Bowers, a truck driver, was convicted last month of 63 charges, including murder and hate crimes.

Prosecutors said he was "filled with hatred for Jews" and "hunted" his victims.

An attorney for Bowers argued he carried out the attack because of hatred of immigrants and a Jewish non-profit group, not because of hatred specifically for Jews.

That distinction is important because under US federal law, in order for the jury to impose the death penalty, the prosecution must prove that Bowers was motivated by race hate, or killed to stop people from exercising their religious beliefs.

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Federal prosecutors rarely pursue the death penalty. Between 1988 and 2021, only 79 defendants in such cases were sentenced to death, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

If jurors side with the prosecution on Bowers' fate, it will be the first federal death sentence under Joe Biden's presidency.

Bowers killed 11 worshippers in the Pittsburgh attack, ranging in age from 54 to 97. Seven others were injured, including five police officers who rushed to the scene.

Three congregations - Dor Hadash, New Light and the Tree of Life - shared the synagogue.

Most families of those killed in the attack have said they support the death penalty for Bowers, although some, including the Dor Hadash congregation, have stated their opposition.

During the most recent phase of the trial, to prove Bowers was eligible for the death penalty, prosecutors had to convince the jury of Bowers' intent, as well as several other factors, including that the crime involved substantial planning and that those he targeted were considered vulnerable victims.

The defence, meanwhile, outlined the defendant's history of mental health issues.

Medical experts called by prosecutors dismissed the idea that mental illness played a role in the attack and talked about Bowers' belief in a racist conspiracy theory known as the "great replacement".