Sentencing phase set for convicted Pittsburgh synagogue shooter

Robert Bowers has now been convicted in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.Jurors found Bowers guilty Friday of all 63 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death. Counts 1-11 are capital offenses, meaning Bowers is now eligible for the death penalty. That sentencing phase is expected to begin on June 26.His attorneys had offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors refused, opting instead to take the case to trial and pursue the death penalty. Most of the victims’ families expressed support for the decision.The sentencing phase is next. Jurors will return to federal court on June 26. They must now decide whether the 50-year-old should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole.The three congregations that shared the synagogue building — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life — have spoken out against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry since the attack. The Tree of Life congregation also is working on a plan to overhaul the synagogue building — which still stands but has been closed since the shootings — by creating a complex that would house a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism.The trial took place three years after President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would work to end capital punishment at the federal level and in states that still use it. His attorney general, Merrick Garland, has temporarily paused executions to review policies and procedures. But federal prosecutors continue to vigorously work to uphold already-issued death sentences and, in some cases, to pursue the death penalty at trial for crimes that are eligible, as in Bowers’ case.The Associated Press contributed to this report.