Pittsburgh – Lawyer: Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Suspect Wants Plea Deal

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    FILE - This undated Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo shows Robert Bowers. A lawyer for Bowers, charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, says he still wants to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP, File)Pittsburgh – The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre still wants to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, his lawyer said Thursday.

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    Judy Clarke told a judge she hopes the case against Robert Bowers can be resolved without a trial. The 46-year-old truck driver wasn’t in court.

    Authorities say Bowers killed 11 people and wounded seven at Tree of Life synagogue last October. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. He has pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecutors in Pittsburgh have previously indicated their intent to seek the death penalty against Bowers, but a final decision rests with the U.S. attorney general.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Thursday the death penalty review process is ongoing. He said the government won’t discuss plea negotiations in open court. Both sides met on May 9.

    Clarke, who is known for negotiating plea deals that helped some of the nation’s most infamous killers avoid death row, had said at Bowers’ February arraignment that he was open to such a deal, telling a judge the defense wanted to avoid a trial.

    Bowers opened fire with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons during worship services inside Tree of Life, killing eight men and three women before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him, according to state and federal affidavits. He expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and later told police that “all these Jews need to die,” authorities said.

    Bowers faces a 63-count indictment that charges him with hate crimes, obstructing religious belief and using a firearm during crimes of violence.


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    8 Comments
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    Speaksoftly
    Speaksoftly
    4 years ago

    Why should he be given the right to live when he rabidly expressed his belief that others do not have that right? The cost of a trial should be weighed against the cost of keeping this degenerate alive, fed, and healthy in prison where he can infect others with his poison. If ever capital punishment was called for, it is a case like this.

    4 years ago

    A plea deal might be considered if extreme and genuine contrition were to be demonstrated. I haven’t seen it in the instant case. Let this sub-human be tried for capital murder, convicted, and put down like the mad dog he is….

    4 years ago

    To: #3- We don’t give a darn, if he is a martyr for anyone; he must be sentenced to death, and sent to death row. I can’t understand why a decision has not been made, regarding capital punishment? The other day, a killer killed an Alabama cop, and the local prosecutor immediately stated that he would seek the death penalty. Down South, they don’t drey around regarding capital punishment, as is the case in Pittsburgh, or in the San Diego area.

    shimonyehuda
    shimonyehuda
    4 years ago

    he is a hero to the neo Nazis and extreme whites now let him be a martyr

    4 years ago

    NO DEAL. Fire him

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    4 years ago

    I would accept the plea deal. I am opposed to the death penalty, but admit its utility in these sorts of cases. He is willing to plead guilty because of the threat of the death penalty.

    4 years ago

    We heard the same ridiculous reasoning, back in 1962, when some Israeli politicians, were getting cold feet, when the time was approaching to execute Adolph Eichmann (may his name be cursed forever). They also stated that “he would become a martyr to other Nazis”. In the end, that argument was rejected, and Eichmann was hanged, on May 31, 1962. Eichmann was defiant, until the bitter end. Incidentally, on a visit to Israel in 1965, our tour guide tour guide took us to the outskirts to Ramle prison, where Eichmann was hanged, and pointed it out to us. It was an eerie sight to have seen that prison. However, in the end, justice was served.