Jury Finds Robert Bowers Guilty on All Counts in 2018 Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

A jury has found a 50-year-old truck driver guilty on all counts in the 2018 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that killed 11 worshipers and left seven people wounded.

Robert Bowers was charged with 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death, related to the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. His own lawyers conceded at the trial’s outset that he attacked and killed worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018.

The jury must now decide whether Bowers should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole as the federal trial shifts to a penalty phase expected to last several weeks.

CBS Pittsburgh reports that the judge read the verdict in the courtroom, which was filled with survivors and family members of those killed in the attack. Bowers was found guilty on all counts, including 11 counts of obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death.

The penalty phase of the trial will begin soon, where the jury will decide if Bowers should receive the death penalty or serve life in prison. The penalty phase is expected to last several weeks.

Bowers’ attack on the Tree of Life synagogue was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. The guilty verdict brings some closure to the families of the victims, who have been waiting for justice for more than two years.