American gunman of Pittsburgh convicted in mass shooting that left 11 congregants dead in Tree of Life Synagogue 

Robert G. Bowers, 50, was convicted on Friday after mercilessly opening fire on Jewish worshipers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018, killing 11 people.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

The gunman who mercilessly opened fire on Jewish worshipers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018, killing 11 congregants in one of the deadliest anti-Semitic attacks in US history, was convicted Friday.

Robert G. Bowers, 50, was tried on 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death.

The verdict was reached Friday morning after the jury deliberated for just a few hours following closing arguments on Thursday afternoon, TribLIVE reporter Paula Reed Ward said.

Bowers initially offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence, but federal prosecutors turned him down. 

Jurors now must decide whether the truck driver should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In the run-up to the high-profile trial, his lawyers said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments.

In addition to the 11 fatalities, Bowers injured seven people, including five police officers who responded.

In a pretrial filing, prosecutors said Bowers “harbored deep, murderous animosity towards all Jewish people.”