Prosecutors called additional rebuttal witness ahead of jury's decision on death penalty eligibility
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The jury in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial will soon be asked if the defendant is eligible for the death penalty. Defense witnesses have maintained the suspect was acting in the throes of a delusion when he attacked the synagogue.
On Thursday, a government expert testified the suspect knowingly and willingly killed 11 people.
He has testified or consulted on the mental state of many high-profile defendants – including would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr. and the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, but after interviewing Robert Bowers three times, forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz said he found Robert Bowers to be free of mental illness.
"Everything about him was normal. There were a few abnormalities, but they were minor," Dietz testified. "I observed a smart, articulate man, who had done his work and was trying to improve his mind and knowledge base. He had paid careful attention to the news, for what news he was interested in, and he had a great memory."
Dietz called the suspect normal even though the defendant has embraced and acted upon wild conspiracy theories about Jews. The suspect repeatedly said Jews were bringing immigrant invaders into the United States to destroy the white race, and he told Dietz that's why he is in jail.
"He said, 'I am a being held as POW in a war. There is a war on white people orchestrated by the Jews, and I am a soldier in that war.'"
The defense witnesses have testified these beliefs are evidence that the suspect is in fact delusional, having a fixed belief in something that can be shown is not true, but Dietz said true delusions must be generated from a person's own brain and the suspect has adopted beliefs that are widely held in white supremacist circles.
He then went into depth about conspiracy theories the suspect had embraced about the Jewish control of governments, banking, the law, the media and the entertainment industry, which he called common "antisemitic tropes."
"None of these things were original to him. There were all ideas that had some currency with people he had communicated with online," Dietz said.
Last month, the gunman was convicted and found guilty of all 63 federal charges he was facing for the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, when he killed 11 worshippers from three different congregations, Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
If the jury decides he is indeed eligible for the death penalty, the case will continue onto the final phase, where they will decide if he will be sentenced to life or death.
That final phase of the trial would include victim impact statements.
Recapping the penalty phase
During the penalty eligibility phase of the trial, medical experts have been called to the stand for testimony surrounding the gunman's diagnoses of epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Prosecutors have challenged those diagnoses.
Other testimony has included psychiatric reports, examination notes, and IQ analysis all surrounding the mental state of the accused gunman.
Last month, the gunman was convicted and found guilty of all 63 federal charges he was facing for the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, when he killed 11 worshippers from three different congregations, Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
If the jury decides he is indeed eligible for the death penalty, the case will continue onto the final phase, where they will decide if he will be sentenced to life or death.
That final phase of the trial would include victim impact statements.
Support is available for those in need during the trial
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health effects from the trial, go to 1027healingpartnership.org to find help resources. As always, call 911 to report threats.
Phone: 412-697-3534
Email: info@1027HealingPartnership.org
Website: 1027healingpartnership.org
More resources can be found here.