PA - 11 killed, 6 injured in mass shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue, 27 Oct 2018 *guilty, death sentence*

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

New Posts

Lawyer: Synagogue massacre suspect wants plea deal

May 23, 2019

"PITTSBURGH — The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre still wants to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, his lawyer said Thursday.

Judy Clarke told a judge she hopes the case against Robert Bowers can be resolved without a trial. The 46-year-old truck driver wasn’t in court....

Prosecutors in Pittsburgh have previously indicated their intent to seek the death penalty against Bowers, but a final decision rests with the U.S. attorney general.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Thursday the death penalty review process is ongoing. He said the government won’t discuss plea negotiations in open court. Both sides met on May 9...."

Lawyer: Synagogue massacre suspect wants plea deal
 
YESorNO said:
"PITTSBURGH — The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre still wants to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, his lawyer said Thursday.

Prosecutors in Pittsburgh have previously indicated their intent to seek the death penalty against Bowers, but a final decision rests with the U.S. attorney general.
Click to expand...

That plea bargain needs to be rejected as it sends the wrong message to future politically driven rampagers:

"If you are middle aged, frustrated and angry at life, you can spread and incite hate propaganda, then murder 11 innocent people. You will then spend the latter part of your life in a cell where you can communicate with like minded individuals and enjoy the infamy of being a "warrior" for the "cause".

Rather, the message sent needs to be: "You will be put into a hole from which you cannot enjoy your noteriety. You will then be executed- preferably sooner rather than later."
 
Lawyers for synagogue massacre suspect allege FBI meddling

May 30, 2019

"(AP) - Lawyers for the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue say the FBI has been discouraging witnesses from talking to the defense, undermining the suspect's right to a fair trial.

Robert Bowers' lawyers said in court documents that at least one witness got in touch with the defense — exchanging multiple emails over several weeks — but abruptly canceled a planned meeting after the FBI frowned on it.

The defense said the FBI delivered the same message to other witnesses.

"The FBI may have included some ... acknowledgment of the witnesses' right to talk to the defense, while at the same time ensuring that no witness would actually exercise that right by conveying the misleading message that doing so could compromise the government's case," Bowers' lawyers wrote....

The defense filing did not name the witnesses whom the FBI allegedly instructed not to speak with Bowers' lawyers. The defense plans to file a separate document under seal that will provide more specifics about the allegation.

Bowers' lawyers identified "potential victim impact witnesses" as being among the witnesses whom the FBI might have discouraged from talking to the defense. They noted that Department of Justice protocol is to seek the views of the victims' family on a potential death penalty prosecution. Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether to seek capital punishment."

Lawyers for synagogue massacre suspect allege FBI meddling
 
Bowers' defense, DOJ reach tentative agreement on witness dispute

JUN 28, 2019

"Federal prosecutors and lawyers for accused synagogue shooter Robert Bowers have reached an agreement to settle disputes that arose in recent weeks over access to witnesses and the role of one of the defense lawyers....

In an agreement filed Friday and awaiting approval by the judge in the case, both sides said they understand that either party has equal access to witnesses, including victim-impact witnesses, and that witnesses can talk to either side in private if they choose.

The parties said they won't advise witnesses not to talk to the other side...."

Bowers' defense, DOJ reach tentative agreement on witness dispute
 
Almost one year since deadly shooting, Pittsburgh Jewish community ‘still shaken’

"(August 9, 2019 / JNS) It has been a deadly week in America with the back-to-back shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, which left a combined total of 31 people dead. For the Jewish community, it dredged up feelings of insecurity as they still grapple with two deadly shootings at synagogues: one on the East Coast and one on the West.

Lone gunmen entered the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh and Chabad of Poway, Calif., exactly six months apart to the day. And it has changed the way Jewish Americans view their safety, especially as the High Holidays approach and synagogues across the country will reach maximum capacity.

“The former normal no longer exists,” Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life told JNS. “We are learning what the new normal is and how to work with it.”...

Myers said the Pittsburgh Jewish community as a whole is still coping with the aftermath of the attack, saying, “We continue to promote healing and have come to learn that healing will be a lifelong process. No two people are at the same place at the same time.”

He added that many community and synagogue members are “still shaken,” and regrettably, there are people who are unable to return to any synagogue to pray....

Congregants of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha have not yet returned to the building where the shooting took place (it remains closed), but the temple continues to hold daily prayer services, programs and events...."

Almost one year since deadly shooting, Pittsburgh Jewish community ‘still shaken’

victims880final-640x400.jpg
 
YESorNO said:
Almost one year since deadly shooting, Pittsburgh Jewish community ‘still shaken’

"(August 9, 2019 / JNS) It has been a deadly week in America with the back-to-back shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, which left a combined total of 31 people dead. For the Jewish community, it dredged up feelings of insecurity as they still grapple with two deadly shootings at synagogues: one on the East Coast and one on the West.

Lone gunmen entered the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh and Chabad of Poway, Calif., exactly six months apart to the day. And it has changed the way Jewish Americans view their safety, especially as the High Holidays approach and synagogues across the country will reach maximum capacity.

“The former normal no longer exists,” Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life told JNS. “We are learning what the new normal is and how to work with it.”...

Myers said the Pittsburgh Jewish community as a whole is still coping with the aftermath of the attack, saying, “We continue to promote healing and have come to learn that healing will be a lifelong process. No two people are at the same place at the same time.”

He added that many community and synagogue members are “still shaken,” and regrettably, there are people who are unable to return to any synagogue to pray....

Congregants of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha have not yet returned to the building where the shooting took place (it remains closed), but the temple continues to hold daily prayer services, programs and events...."

Almost one year since deadly shooting, Pittsburgh Jewish community ‘still shaken’

victims880final-640x400.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you for the update. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.
 
Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue Mass Murder Reviewed in Court Monday

August 12, 2019

"Robert Gregory Bowers, 47, the sole suspect in the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting that on Shabbat, October 27, 2018, killed eleven people and injured four, will not be in court on Monday as federal prosecutors and the defense review the progress of his case. According to the Associated Press, the prosecution is yet to decide whether or not to seek the death penalty for Bowers.

Bowers appeared in federal court in Pittsburgh on October 29, 2018, to hear the charges against him. He was assigned a court appointed attorney, Judy Clarke, and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service without bail.

Bowers was indicted on 44 counts by the federal grand jury on October 31. The charges carry a maximum penalty of death or 535 years in federal prison. The counts include hate crimes, 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence, four counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Bowers entered a plea of not guilty.

On January 29, 2019, the grand jury indicted Bowers on an additional 19 counts, 13 of which were for hate crimes.
On February 11, 2019, Bowers was arraigned in federal court.

Bowers was also charged with 36 state criminal counts, including 11 counts of criminal homicide, 6 counts of aggravated assault, 6 counts of attempted criminal homicide, and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation...."

Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue Mass Murder Reviewed in Court Monday
 
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting receives 120-day extension (with clip)

Aug 12, 2019

"PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTRF) — Prosecutors and lawyers for the man charged with killing 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year have agreed to a 120-day extension in the case.

The sides met briefly in federal court in Pittsburgh Monday to review the status of Robert Bowers’ prosecution....

Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether to seek the death penalty."

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting receives 120-day extension

robert_bowers.jpg
 
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting receives 120-day extension (with clip)

Aug 12, 2019

"PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTRF) — Prosecutors and lawyers for the man charged with killing 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year have agreed to a 120-day extension in the case.

The sides met briefly in federal court in Pittsburgh Monday to review the status of Robert Bowers’ prosecution....

Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether to seek the death penalty."

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting receives 120-day extension

robert_bowers.jpg
 
Pittsburgh Rabbi Asks That Alleged Shooter Not Face Death Penalty (with clip)
Jonathan Perlman says his faith — and concern for his traumatized congregants — compel him to speak up against capital punishment for the synagogue massacre.

08/14/2019

"A rabbi of one of the three Pittsburgh congregations targeted in a mass shooting last year at Tree of Life synagogue is asking prosecutors not to seek the death penalty for the gunman.

Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, of New Light Congregation, lost three of his congregants after alleged shooter Robert Bowers opened fire inside the Pittsburgh synagogue last October as the three congregations met there....

Prosecutors are currently deliberating whether to seek the death penalty in the case against Bowers. The suspect, an avowed anti-Semite, has pleaded not guilty to a 63-count indictment, including murder as a hate crime.

Still, Perlman, who survived the massacre by hiding in a storage closet, is imploring federal prosecutors to not seek the death penalty in this case.

n a letter addressed to Attorney General William Barr and Scott W. Brady, a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Perlman wrote that his congregation is already “depleted” by the tragedy and would only be re-traumatized by a death penalty trial. ..."

Pittsburgh Rabbi Asks That Alleged Shooter Not Face Death Penalty | HuffPost
---

Jonathan Perlman added a new photo.
August 7

Jonathan Perlman
 
YESorNO said:
Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether to seek the death penalty."
Click to expand...
The government will be seeking the death penalty.
Justice Department to seek death penalty against Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect - CNN

As a side note, the current administration has assigned actual execution dates to five criminals previously given federal death sentences. Thus, a death penalty in this case will not be simply symbolic.
YESorNO said:
"A rabbi of one of the three Pittsburgh congregations targeted in a mass shooting last year at Tree of Life synagogue is asking prosecutors not to seek the death penalty for the gunman.
Click to expand...
The Rabbi's wishes respectfully noted, the death penalty is warranted to avoid the inmate from becoming a "living martyr / guide" who dispenses decades of "justification", "wisdom" and "inspiration" from behind bars to like minded individuals.
 
Last edited:
Investigators Release Transcript Of Phone Call Between Attorneys, Judge In Tree Of Life Shooting Case (with clip)

September 16, 2019

"PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Investigators have released a transcript of a phone call between the accused Tree of Life shooter’s attorneys and the judge in the case.

Back in June, lawyers were arguing over whether witnesses should be talking to alleged mass shooter Robert Bowers’ defense team.

Defense attorneys were upset because some witnesses allegedly told them the FBI told witnesses not to talk to the defense attorneys.

The government said the FBI was acting within its authority.

The judge didn’t make any rulings during the phone call between the parties but said that if the issue progressed, they’d need to hold a hearing on it...."

Investigators Release Transcript Of Phone Call Between Attorneys, Judge In Tree Of Life Shooting Case
 
Prosecutors say defense balking at setting Robert Bowers trial date for Tree of Life killings

Sept 25, 2019

"Federal prosecutors are asking the judge in the capital case of Robert Bowers, accused of killing 11 at Tree of Life synagogue last year, to intervene in disputes over discovery between prosecution and defense so the case can go to trial by next year at this time.

The U.S. attorney’s office said in court papers Wednesday that prosecutors had proposed to the defense team a Sept. 14, 2020, trial date but that Mr. Bowers’ lawyers have balked at any scheduling orders.

The parties had a conference call about scheduling earlier this month and met Sept. 17 to talk about the defense’s request to discuss 13 discovery issues, which pertain to evidence that prosecutors must turn over to the defense....

The government lawyers said the case should get moving and go to trial within a year.

In other federal capital cases, they said, a scheduling order and trial were set within a few weeks of the government filing notice that it would seek the death penalty.

Prosecutors cited the cases of Dylann Roof, who is on death row after being convicted of a race-motivated mass killing at a black church in South Carolina, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is on death row for the Boston Marathon bombing.

In both cases, a trial was set shortly after the Department of Justice said it would seek the death penalty.

In the Bowers case, DOJ announced Aug. 26 that it would seek death but no dates have been set...."

Prosecutors say defense balking at setting Robert Bowers trial date for Tree of Life killings
 
Accused Tree Of Life Shooter Robert Bowers’ Offer To Plead Guilty Rejected By Federal Prosecutors (with clip)

October 15, 2019

"PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The accused Tree of Life shooter Robert Bowers’ offer to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life without release was rejected.

According to court documents released Tuesday, his request was rejected by federal prosecutors, who are pursuing the death penalty.

The Justice Department filed for the death penalty in August.

The filing for the death penalty backs up what U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady had indicated when he charged Bowers with the obstruction of an exercise of religious belief resulting in death, a hate crime that could merit execution under the federal system.

But defense attorney Judy Clarke offered a guilty plea in exchange for life for Bowers, and congregations New Light and Dor Hadash wanted the government to take the deal."

Accused Tree Of Life Shooter Robert Bowers' Offer To Plead Guilty Rejected By Federal Prosecutors
 
I hope the death sentence is commuted to life sentence, if Bowers shows genuine remorse after listening to all the victim impact statements.

Canada and New Zealand do not have death sentence. The remorseful Quebec mosque shooter got quite lenient sentence in my opinion. NZ terrorist should get life sentence, with absolutely no chance of parole.
 
Judge: Death Penalty On Table For Alleged Tree Of Life Shooter Robert Bowers

April 7, 2020

"PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a bid by the suspect in the Tree of Life shooting to have the death penalty removed as a potential sentencing option....

Senior District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose noted in a trio of rulings Monday that courts have consistently upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty....

...No trial date has been set.'

Judge: Death Penalty On Table For Alleged Tree Of Life Shooter Robert Bowers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bowers' lawyers ask for another delay, claim virus is hindering defense efforts

APR 13, 2020

"Lawyers for accused synagogue shooter Robert Bowers want to delay the case because of COVID-19.

In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the defense team says it hasn't been able to meet with Mr. Bowers at the jail in Butler County because of the virus, nor can they interview witnesses or do other work on the case that requires in-person contact.

The lawyers said they intend to ask U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose to suspend deadlines for filing more motions and set a status conference for the end of May...."

Bowers' lawyers ask for another delay, claim virus is hindering defense efforts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Synagogue massacre case’s deadlines extended because of virus

APR 14, 2020

"The federal judge overseeing the case of Robert Bowers, accused of gunning down 11 worshipers at Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, has ordered that filing deadlines for new pretrial motions by the defense will be extended for 90 days...."

Synagogue massacre case’s deadlines extended because of virus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
YESorNO said:
A federal judge has rejected a bid by the suspect in the Tree of Life shooting to have the death penalty removed as a potential sentencing option....
Click to expand...
As a side note, the Federal death penalty, which has essentially been symbolic for decades, now carries the real possibility of some condemned inmates actually being executed.

The Trump administration has stated that they will actively move forward in carrying out imposed death sentences:U.S. appeals court hands win to Trump plan to resume federal executions
 
An evidentiary hearing in the case of a western Pennsylvania truck driver accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue three years ago is scheduled for a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh.

Federal prosecutors and attorneys for Robert Bowers will participate in the pretrial hearing that starts Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.

Pa. mass synagogue shooting trial moving forward against Robert Bowers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 90 more.
Total: 1,959 (members: 91, guests: 1,868)

Online statistics

Members online
91
Guests online
1,868
Total visitors
1,959
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
600,386
Messages
18,107,927
Members
230,992
Latest member
Clue Keeper
Back
Top