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Suspect in synagogue massacre pleads not guilty to new charges
Source: Reuters
U.S. FEBRUARY 11, 2019 / 6:13 AM / UPDATED 35 MINUTES AGO
Suspect in synagogue massacre pleads not guilty to new charges
Chriss Swaney
3 MIN READ
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - The man accused of massacring 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year in the deadliest attack on a U.S. Jewish institution pleaded not guilty on Monday in federal court to a dozen additional charges including hate crimes.
The suspect, Robert Bowers, is accused of bursting into the Tree of Life synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Oct. 27 armed with three handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, and firing on congregants as he shouted “All Jews must die.”
Bowers, 46, pleaded not guilty to 19 fresh charges, which bring the total number of criminal counts he is facing to 63, including use of a firearm to commit murder and obstruction of religious exercise resulting in death.
Federal prosecutor Tony Rivetti said it will take up to three weeks to determine if the government will seek the death penalty.
One of Bowers’ attorneys, Judith Clarke, a death penalty specialist, said the defense hoped to settle without trial. A negotiated plea deal could allow Bowers to avoid facing the risk of execution.
-snip-
Suspect in synagogue massacre pleads not guilty to new charges
Chriss Swaney
3 MIN READ
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - The man accused of massacring 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year in the deadliest attack on a U.S. Jewish institution pleaded not guilty on Monday in federal court to a dozen additional charges including hate crimes.
The suspect, Robert Bowers, is accused of bursting into the Tree of Life synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Oct. 27 armed with three handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, and firing on congregants as he shouted “All Jews must die.”
Bowers, 46, pleaded not guilty to 19 fresh charges, which bring the total number of criminal counts he is facing to 63, including use of a firearm to commit murder and obstruction of religious exercise resulting in death.
Federal prosecutor Tony Rivetti said it will take up to three weeks to determine if the government will seek the death penalty.
One of Bowers’ attorneys, Judith Clarke, a death penalty specialist, said the defense hoped to settle without trial. A negotiated plea deal could allow Bowers to avoid facing the risk of execution.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-shooting/suspect-in-synagogue-massacre-pleads-not-guilty-to-new-charges-idUSKCN1Q014G
