Synagogue shooter found guilty on all counts, may face death penalty.

The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter Found Guilty on All Counts

In a landmark verdict, the man responsible for the horrific attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2018 has been found guilty on all 63 counts he faced. This includes 11 counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death. The shooter’s actions marked the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

The New Light congregation, one of the targeted congregations, expressed their stance on forgiveness, stating, “There can be no forgiveness. Forgiveness requires two components: that it is offered by the person who commits the wrong and is accepted by the person who was wronged. The shooter has not asked — and the dead cannot accept.”

During the trial, it was revealed that the shooter intentionally targeted the synagogue with the intention of killing Jewish people. While his defense attorneys acknowledged his role in the shooting, they urged the jurors to scrutinize his intent.

The attack, which took place on October 27, 2018, during Sabbath services, left 11 people dead and several Holocaust survivors wounded. The shooter, armed with multiple firearms, including a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and three Glock .357 handguns, unleashed his hatred for Jews.

Now, the jury will decide whether the shooter will face the death penalty. His legal team has argued that he suffers from schizophrenia and has structural and functional brain impairments, potentially serving as mitigating factors against capital punishment.

As the trial concluded, federal public defender Elisa Long questioned how a man who had previously led a solitary and law-abiding life could cause such devastation. The trial was overseen by U.S. District Judge Robert Colville in downtown Pittsburgh.