Letter to the editor: Why hasn't synagogue shooting suspect gone to trial?

A white supremacist in California murdered worshippers at a Passover service in a Southern California synagogue in 2019. Both federal and state trials were held, and the accused was found guilty and sentenced to life sentences. Those who defended this individual reported he was influenced by the killings at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

Many U.S. residents feel California is lenient toward those accused of serious crime, yet someone who copied a crime that happened in Pittsburgh has been found guilty. Meanwhile, the individual accused of the hate crime in Pittsburgh has yet to stand trial.

I’m just trying to understand our legal system. Can anyone explain this?

Sheryl Stolzenberg

Squirrel Hill