Bowers’ attorneys admitted at the trial’s outset that their client fatally shot 11 people at the Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018, but argued that he was not motivated by a hatred of Jews.
Prosecutors called those claims “absurd” during closing arguments Thursday, CNN reported. “He is filled with hatred for Jews,” prosecutor Mary Hahn said. “That is what propelled him to act.”
While there is no doubt Bowers was the shooter, deliberations could take several days because he faces 63 federal charges in connection with the attack. If convicted on certain charges, he could face the death penalty.
The trial was delayed for years as Bowers’ attorneys negotiated with federal prosecutors. Bowers offered to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole, but the feds turned him down so they could seek the death penalty.
After weeks of jury selection, proceedings began in late May. Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses as they presented their case over two weeks.
Earlier this week, the feds introduced numerous social media posts in which Bowers praised Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust while writing antisemitic screeds such as “Jews are the children of Satan.”
Minutes before the attack on Oct. 27, 2018, Bowers posted, “The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
The defense did not call any witnesses and cross-examined few of the prosecution’s witnesses.
Of the 63 counts Bowers faces, 22 carry a possible death sentence. If convicted on one of those counts, the trial will then enter what is expected to be a lengthy penalty phase in which the same jury will determine whether Bowers will be sentenced to death.
Bowers also faces numerous state charges, which were put on hold while the federal case plays out. Though Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a moratorium on federal executions shortly after taking office, federal prosecutors have still sought the death penalty in certain cases.