FINAL PHASES

Jury Say Pittsburgh Synagogue Killer Is Eligible for Death Penalty

The decision came a month after Robert Bowers was convicted of gunning down 11 people in 2018.

Robert Bowers, the man convicted last month for murdering 11 worshipers inside a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, is eligible to be sentenced to death. That designation was made by a Pennsylvania jury on Thursday, which determined—as expected—that Bowers’ crimes was cruel enough to be eligible for the death penalty. The decision came after the jury heard testimony for two weeks that largely focused on Bowers’ motivation for the massacre, as well as testimony about his troubled childhood and his months of planning before the killings. It’ll now be up to the same jury to recommend to a judge if Bowers should be sentenced to death or not—a process that’s slated to play out in the coming weeks. Bowers was convicted on June 16 on all 63 counts, including charges of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs, murder, and more.