Jury reaches decision in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting case
The jury considering the fate of the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue nearly five years ago has reached a decision on whether the man will be sentenced to death or life in prison.
The clerk’s office in U.S. District Court said around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday that the jury had reached a decision in the trial of Robert Bowers, 50, of Baldwin.
The panel of seven women and five men deliberated about 10 hours over two days.
Public proceedings were expected to resume in U.S. District Judge Robert Colville’s federal courtroom in Downtown Pittsburgh in about a half-hour.
The jury in June found Bowers guilty of all 63 counts against him. The case then moved into the eligibility phase where the jury last month found that Bowers had the requisite intent to kill, making him eligible for capital punishment.
A verdict for death must be unanimous. Anything less than that defaults to a life sentence.
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