By Aditi Sangal and Mike Hayes, CNN
From CNN's Sabrina Souza
The jury in the trial of Robert Bowers, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers and wounded six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, has reached a verdict on whether to sentence him to death.
The verdict will be read in court in approximately 20 minutes. The jury deliberated for just over 10 hours.
Remember: A decision to sentence the gunman to death must be unanimous. Otherwise, he will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
From CNN's Nicki Brown
A defense attorney for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter said there is no justification for the 2018 attack, but urged the jury to "consider mercy" and sentence him to life in prison during closing arguments.
"We can't rewind the clock and make it such that this senseless crime never happened," defense attorney Judy Clarke said during her closing argument Monday afternoon. "All we can really do is make the right decision going forward. And we are asking you to make the right decision, and that is life."
The defense attorney appealed to the jurors' "individual sense of justice," explaining that any one of them has the ability to decide the death penalty should not be imposed. If the jury is not unanimous on the death penalty, convicted shooter Robert Bowers will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Clarke said jurors should take Bowers' childhood, environment, and genetics into account. She listed multiple difficulties in his life, including mental health issues in his family and a childhood she described as "chaotic, unstable, and unsafe."
Although Bowers tried to overcome these challenges, "he succumbed to his mental illness, to his delusional beliefs, and brought us where we are today," she said.
From CNN's Nicki Brown and Eric Levenson
The gunman who killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 should be sentenced to death, federal prosecutors argued to a jury on Monday, specifically noting his hatred for Jews and ongoing lack of remorse.
“He turned an ordinary Jewish Sabbath into the worst antisemitic mass shooting in US history, and he is proud of it,” US Attorney Eric Olshan said.
In their closing argument, prosecutors detailed five aggravating factors they say apply to every count the jury is considering: the defendant’s hatred of Jews, selection of the synagogue as a target, injuries to surviving victims, lack of remorse and victim impact.
“Eleven people, 11 full lives, 11 people who loved their families, 11 people who loved their friends, 11 people who were loved,” Olshan said. “Eight-hundred-and-thirteen years of life gone in less time than it took me to give you even the briefest window into how unique these people were. This man murdered every single one of them.”
Robert Bowers, 50, was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for carrying out the deadliest-ever attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.
The jury further found he was eligible for the death penalty on July 13, moving the trial to a final sentencing stage.
From CNN's Sabrina Souza
Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting survivor Dan Leger described the excruciating pain he endured during his recovery.
Leger, a registered nurse, said his bladder was “blown out” and he needed a colostomy bag to survive. There was massive swelling all over his body and it was nearly impossible to eat, he added. “It was awful.”
He spent five weeks in the hospital and lost about 40 pounds. His weight fell to a low of 105 pounds, he said.
Leger, giving testimony last month in the death penalty trial, said he needed a lot of physical therapy and said there were ups and downs in his long recovery. He still occasionally uses a cane, he noted.
Then Leger spoke of his emotional trauma.
Prior to the shooting, he said he was not a suspicious person, but now when he sees someone in a crowded room with what could even remotely look like a weapon, it makes him nervous. He said he also no longer deals with loud noises, including July 4th fireworks. “I just feel diminished. I feel very diminished.” Leger said.
From Sabrina Souza
Survivor Andrea Wedner, who suffered major damage to her arm from gunfire during the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, said her life will never be the same again.
Wedner, a dental hygienist, said she has shrapnel throughout her body, in her face, chest and hand. That’s in addition to the damage to her arm, which is covered in scars. She testified she experiences numbness, weakness, and tingling in her hands.
“I miss my coworkers, I miss my patients, and they miss me, “ Wedner said.
She lost her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, in the shooting and says she has a hard time attending religious services without her. “I’m haunted by what happened to me, and by what I saw, and what I heard that day.”
“The hardest part is knowing what happened to her and how she died,” Wedner added.
From CNN's Emanuella Grinberg, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Sara Sidner and AnneClaire Stapleton
Eleven people were killed and several more were wounded in the bloodshed that took place on October 27, 2018, as three congregations were holding Saturday Shabbat services at the Tree of Life. Here are their stories:
Bernice and Sylvan Simon died together in the same synagogue where they wed more than 60 years ago. According to their 1956 wedding announcement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the couple married at Tree of Life synagogue. The bride carried a Bible with white orchids and streamers of stephanotis and wore a gown of ivory chantilly lace and tulle trimmed with sequins.
Jerry Rabinowitz, a primary care physician in Edgewood Borough, "was (the) one to go to" for HIV patients in Pittsburgh, said Michael Kerr said Rabinowitz treated him for HIV in the 1990s until 2004. In the early days of HIV treatment, when stigma around the disease was high, Rabinowitz was known to hold patients’ hands without gloves and embrace them whenever they left the office, Kerr recalled.
“Before there was effective treatment for fighting HIV itself, he was known in the community for keeping us alive the longest,” Kerr said. “Thank you Dr. Rabinowitiz for having always been there during the most terrifying and frightening time of my life.”
Irving Younger was "the first person that would meet you and help you find a seat," his pal and former Tree of Life president Barton Schachter told CNN. “He liked to make sure you knew where you were in the prayer book. It was his duty. He felt responsible. He felt like his role was to help serve.”
A former real estate agent, Younger enjoyed spending time at one of the sidewalk tables in front of a local coffee shop, where he appointed himself as greeter, Schachter said. He also coached Little League, said Meryl Ainsman, whose son played on his team. She remembered him as a kind man.
Melvin Wax's greatest passions were his grandson, his religion and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was “always in a good mood, always full of jokes,” his sister told CNN affiliate WTAE. The 87-year-old accountant was usually among the first to arrive at Friday night and Saturday morning services, Bonnie Wax said. He was well-versed in reciting Jewish prayer.
Rose Mallinger, 97, lived for her family, friends and relatives say. She regularly attended Tree of Life with her daughter, Andrea, who was injured in the shooting.
“She knew her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchild better than they knew themselves. She retained her sharp wit, humor and intelligence until the very last day,” her family said in a statement.
Family friend Stephen Neustein said he fully expected Mallinger to make it to at least 100. The mother of three children, with five grandchildren and one great-grandchild, still cooked family meals for high holidays.
Joyce Fienberg, 75, was a “cherished friend” and “an engaging, elegant, and warm person,” said her employers at the Learning Research and Development Center. She had a long career at the University of Pittsburgh as a research specialist from 1983 until her retirement in 2008.
She was also beloved by the Ph.D. students of her late husband. “She was a very petite woman but lit up a room with her huge personality. We weren’t just welcome in the classroom, but into [the couple's] home,” Jason Connor said. “Everyone says this, but she really was an enormously caring person.”
Richard Gottfried was in an interfaith marriage with his Catholic wife and helped prepare other interfaith couples for marriage through the St. Athanasius church. The couple was a fixture in the community of Ross Township, said Patrick Mannarino, North Hills School District superintendent. Gottfried, 65, was the district’s dentist for a long time, Mannarino said.
Daniel Stein, 71, was a "simple man" who "did not require much," his son Joe Stein said. "Our lives now are going to have to take a different path, one that we thought would not happen for a long time."
Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal were inseparable, said Chris Schopf of ACHIEVA, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that provides support for people with disabilities.
“Cecil’s laugh was infectious. David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit. Together, they looked out for one another,” said Schopf, a vice president for residential support. “Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around.”
CNN’s Dakin Andone, Eric Levenson, Shelby Rose, Jason Kravarik, Sonia Moghe and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
The jury in the trial of Robert Bowers, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers and wounded six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, has reached a verdict on whether to sentence him to death.
The verdict will be read in court in approximately 20 minutes. The jury deliberated for just over 10 hours.
Remember: A decision to sentence the gunman to death must be unanimous. Otherwise, he will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A defense attorney for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter said there is no justification for the 2018 attack, but urged the jury to "consider mercy" and sentence him to life in prison during closing arguments.
"We can't rewind the clock and make it such that this senseless crime never happened," defense attorney Judy Clarke said during her closing argument Monday afternoon. "All we can really do is make the right decision going forward. And we are asking you to make the right decision, and that is life."
The defense attorney appealed to the jurors' "individual sense of justice," explaining that any one of them has the ability to decide the death penalty should not be imposed. If the jury is not unanimous on the death penalty, convicted shooter Robert Bowers will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Clarke said jurors should take Bowers' childhood, environment, and genetics into account. She listed multiple difficulties in his life, including mental health issues in his family and a childhood she described as "chaotic, unstable, and unsafe."
Although Bowers tried to overcome these challenges, "he succumbed to his mental illness, to his delusional beliefs, and brought us where we are today," she said.
The gunman who killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 should be sentenced to death, federal prosecutors argued to a jury on Monday, specifically noting his hatred for Jews and ongoing lack of remorse.
“He turned an ordinary Jewish Sabbath into the worst antisemitic mass shooting in US history, and he is proud of it,” US Attorney Eric Olshan said.
In their closing argument, prosecutors detailed five aggravating factors they say apply to every count the jury is considering: the defendant’s hatred of Jews, selection of the synagogue as a target, injuries to surviving victims, lack of remorse and victim impact.
“Eleven people, 11 full lives, 11 people who loved their families, 11 people who loved their friends, 11 people who were loved,” Olshan said. “Eight-hundred-and-thirteen years of life gone in less time than it took me to give you even the briefest window into how unique these people were. This man murdered every single one of them.”
Robert Bowers, 50, was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for carrying out the deadliest-ever attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.
The jury further found he was eligible for the death penalty on July 13, moving the trial to a final sentencing stage.
Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting survivor Dan Leger described the excruciating pain he endured during his recovery.
Leger, a registered nurse, said his bladder was “blown out” and he needed a colostomy bag to survive. There was massive swelling all over his body and it was nearly impossible to eat, he added. “It was awful.”
He spent five weeks in the hospital and lost about 40 pounds. His weight fell to a low of 105 pounds, he said.
Leger, giving testimony last month in the death penalty trial, said he needed a lot of physical therapy and said there were ups and downs in his long recovery. He still occasionally uses a cane, he noted.
Then Leger spoke of his emotional trauma.
Prior to the shooting, he said he was not a suspicious person, but now when he sees someone in a crowded room with what could even remotely look like a weapon, it makes him nervous. He said he also no longer deals with loud noises, including July 4th fireworks. “I just feel diminished. I feel very diminished.” Leger said.
Survivor Andrea Wedner, who suffered major damage to her arm from gunfire during the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, said her life will never be the same again.
Wedner, a dental hygienist, said she has shrapnel throughout her body, in her face, chest and hand. That’s in addition to the damage to her arm, which is covered in scars. She testified she experiences numbness, weakness, and tingling in her hands.
“I miss my coworkers, I miss my patients, and they miss me, “ Wedner said.
She lost her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, in the shooting and says she has a hard time attending religious services without her. “I’m haunted by what happened to me, and by what I saw, and what I heard that day.”
“The hardest part is knowing what happened to her and how she died,” Wedner added.
Eleven people were killed and several more were wounded in the bloodshed that took place on October 27, 2018, as three congregations were holding Saturday Shabbat services at the Tree of Life. Here are their stories:
Bernice and Sylvan Simon died together in the same synagogue where they wed more than 60 years ago. According to their 1956 wedding announcement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the couple married at Tree of Life synagogue. The bride carried a Bible with white orchids and streamers of stephanotis and wore a gown of ivory chantilly lace and tulle trimmed with sequins.
Jerry Rabinowitz, a primary care physician in Edgewood Borough, "was (the) one to go to" for HIV patients in Pittsburgh, said Michael Kerr said Rabinowitz treated him for HIV in the 1990s until 2004. In the early days of HIV treatment, when stigma around the disease was high, Rabinowitz was known to hold patients’ hands without gloves and embrace them whenever they left the office, Kerr recalled.
“Before there was effective treatment for fighting HIV itself, he was known in the community for keeping us alive the longest,” Kerr said. “Thank you Dr. Rabinowitiz for having always been there during the most terrifying and frightening time of my life.”
Irving Younger was "the first person that would meet you and help you find a seat," his pal and former Tree of Life president Barton Schachter told CNN. “He liked to make sure you knew where you were in the prayer book. It was his duty. He felt responsible. He felt like his role was to help serve.”
A former real estate agent, Younger enjoyed spending time at one of the sidewalk tables in front of a local coffee shop, where he appointed himself as greeter, Schachter said. He also coached Little League, said Meryl Ainsman, whose son played on his team. She remembered him as a kind man.
Melvin Wax's greatest passions were his grandson, his religion and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was “always in a good mood, always full of jokes,” his sister told CNN affiliate WTAE. The 87-year-old accountant was usually among the first to arrive at Friday night and Saturday morning services, Bonnie Wax said. He was well-versed in reciting Jewish prayer.
Rose Mallinger, 97, lived for her family, friends and relatives say. She regularly attended Tree of Life with her daughter, Andrea, who was injured in the shooting.
“She knew her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchild better than they knew themselves. She retained her sharp wit, humor and intelligence until the very last day,” her family said in a statement.
Family friend Stephen Neustein said he fully expected Mallinger to make it to at least 100. The mother of three children, with five grandchildren and one great-grandchild, still cooked family meals for high holidays.
Joyce Fienberg, 75, was a “cherished friend” and “an engaging, elegant, and warm person,” said her employers at the Learning Research and Development Center. She had a long career at the University of Pittsburgh as a research specialist from 1983 until her retirement in 2008.
She was also beloved by the Ph.D. students of her late husband. “She was a very petite woman but lit up a room with her huge personality. We weren’t just welcome in the classroom, but into [the couple's] home,” Jason Connor said. “Everyone says this, but she really was an enormously caring person.”
Richard Gottfried was in an interfaith marriage with his Catholic wife and helped prepare other interfaith couples for marriage through the St. Athanasius church. The couple was a fixture in the community of Ross Township, said Patrick Mannarino, North Hills School District superintendent. Gottfried, 65, was the district’s dentist for a long time, Mannarino said.
Daniel Stein, 71, was a "simple man" who "did not require much," his son Joe Stein said. "Our lives now are going to have to take a different path, one that we thought would not happen for a long time."
Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal were inseparable, said Chris Schopf of ACHIEVA, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that provides support for people with disabilities.
“Cecil’s laugh was infectious. David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit. Together, they looked out for one another,” said Schopf, a vice president for residential support. “Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around.”
CNN’s Dakin Andone, Eric Levenson, Shelby Rose, Jason Kravarik, Sonia Moghe and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
