Jury selection continues in Pittsburgh synagogue killings

Apr 28, 2023, 3:24 PM

This is the Federal Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday April 24, 2023. The long-delayed ca...

This is the Federal Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday April 24, 2023. The long-delayed capital murder trial of Robert Bowers accused in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre will begin with jury selection beginning April 24, 2023, at the Federal Courthouse in Pittsburgh, a federal judge has ruled. Bowers, a Baldwin resident who has pleaded not guilty, could be sentenced to death if convicted of the shootings. He faces more than 60 federal charges stemming from the Oct. 27, 2018, attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 worshippers in the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ongoing jury selection in the case of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre is reviving the community’s memories of that traumatic day but also of the solidarity that followed, said the director of a program helping survivors and others affected by the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, said the city “is reminded of what the intensity of this event was and also reminded of the intensity of healing together.”

Many people have been wearing blue ribbons — an emblem of solidarity with victims — or displaying them on the doors of their homes and businesses. “People are looking for some way to say, ‘I stand with you, I stand against hate,'” she said.

The first week of jury selection in the case drew to a close late Friday, with more days of questioning slated for next week.

Of 81 prospective jurors interviewed, 27 of them remained eligible by the end of the week to serve on the jury for the federal trial of Robert Bowers, according to the Tribune-Review. Bowers, 50, could face the death penalty.

U.S. District Judge Robert Colville, presiding over the case, has set a pattern of ruling the following business day on motions by opposing attorneys to remove candidates “for cause” from the juror pool if one or the other side deems them objectionable. Under that pattern, he could rule Monday on more challenges to Friday’s candidates.

Disqualifying factors could include having inflexible views on the death penalty. Still other candidates have been dismissed because serving on the lengthy trial would pose a hardship, such as in work or caregiving situations.

Plans are for 12 jurors and six alternates, but each side still has the right to up to 20 preemptory removals — without needing a reason. At a result, scores of potential jurors are being screened, many of them facing half an hour or more of questioning.

Bowers, of the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin, is charged with 63 counts in the killings of 11 worshippers on Oct. 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life synagogue building where three congregations had gathered — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. The charges include 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.

Prosecutors say Bowers made antisemitic comments at the scene of the attacks and in earlier online forums.

Bowers’ attorneys already offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence without parole, but prosecutors refused and are seeking the death penalty, a move most of the victims’ families support. Most of the juror questioning by Bowers’ attorneys has focused on jurors’ views on the death penalty.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

United States News

Associated Press

San Francisco police: 9 victims hit but no deaths in Mission District mass shooting

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Multiple victims were struck by bullets during a mass shooting in San Francisco’s Mission District Friday night, but authorities said there were no fatalities. “We can confirm there are 9 shooting victims — all are expected to survive their injuries,” the San Francisco Police Department said in a tweet. Police said […]

5 hours ago

FILE - Cameron Champ, of the United States, hits out of a bunker on the ninth hole during the Walke...

Associated Press

Beverly Hills-adjacent golf club opens doors to world with U.S. Open

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For much of the past century, the Los Angeles Country Club was quite literally a hidden gem. While Los Angeles grew from a warm-weather outpost into a global metropolis, this picturesque golf club sat in one of the city’s most dazzling settings — 325 acres of multibillion-dollar real estate adjoining Beverly […]

1 day ago

Seen is the damage from a collapsed apartment building, Monday, June 5, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. T...

Associated Press

Cracked floors, bowed walls: Many warnings but no action at Iowa building before deadly collapse

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — So many people knew something wasn’t right at the 116-year-old Davenport apartment building. The structural engineer who documented the shaky wall. The head of a masonry company who wouldn’t let his workers onto the site. The city inspector who threatened to close some units. A downtown official who called 911 […]

1 day ago

One of several cameras set up to capture live debate in the chamber of the Nebraska Legislature is ...

Associated Press

Nebraska Legislature as reality TV, featuring filibuster and culture war drama

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mention televised legislative debates, and what may come to mind are stuffy, policy-wonk discussions broadcast by C-SPAN. This year’s Nebraska Legislature was more like a reality TV show, with culture-war rhetoric, open hostility among lawmakers, name-calling, yelling and more. Many Nebraskans couldn’t get enough of it. “It was addictive,” said Jamie […]

1 day ago

Drag performer Neon Calypso, center, sings and dances to Tina Turner's version of the song "Proud M...

Associated Press

Pride is back in Boston as parade returns after quarrel over inclusivity

BOSTON (AP) — The biggest Pride parade in New England returns to Boston after a three-year hiatus Saturday, with a fresh focus on social justice and inclusion rather than corporate backing. About 10,000 marchers signed up before registration was shut down, according to organizers. Employee groups are welcome to march, but corporations aren’t. “We really […]

1 day ago

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., leaves his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Trump’s GOP defenders in Congress leap into action on charges after months of preparation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida. But hundred of miles away, part of Trump’s defense is well underway in a different venue — the halls of Congress, where Republicans have been preparing for months to wage […]

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

Jury selection continues in Pittsburgh synagogue killings