Pittsburgh synagogue shooter remains on death row after Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal inmates
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The man convicted of murdering 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the nation's deadliest antisemitic attack will remain on federal death row after President Biden commuted the sentences of all but three federal inmates.
Biden announced on Monday that he granted clemency to 37 of 40 federal inmates on death row, commuting their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Robert Bowers, who was convicted and sentenced to death for shooting and killing 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill in 2018, didn't receive clemency. Neither did the gunman at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston and the surviving Boston Marathon bomber.
Federal execution moratorium
The synagogue shooter's sentence was the first federal death sentence imposed during the Biden administration, though the Department of Justice instituted a moratorium on executions in 2021.
In announcing the commutations, Biden said in a statement, "These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder."
President-elect Trump has said he would restart executions, which Biden appeared to allude to in his statement.
"In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted," the president said.
Shooter sentenced to death after trial
The synagogue shooter was sentenced to death in 2023 after a trial. In the first phase of the trial, he was found guilty of all 63 federal charges he faced. Then the jury determined the convicted gunman was eligible to face the death penalty.
In closing arguments, the prosecution argued against the defense's mental illness claims, saying the shooter methodically planned and executed the attack on innocent victims. The defense asked the jury to spare the shooter's life, detailing a family history of mental illness, abusive parents and institutionalization.
The shooter was sentenced to death after the jury unanimously determined that capital punishment was appropriate.
Shooter's request for new trial denied
After his conviction and sentencing, the shooter asked for a new trial, with his attorneys arguing that federal prosecutors failed to prove he intended to obstruct the victims' religious freedom.
A judge rejected the motion in May, saying the evidence was clear that Bowers targeted his victims because they were Jewish.
The synagogue, which has been empty since the attack, is being rebuilt into a "reimagined" Tree of Life to memorialize and celebrate the lives of those killed.