Robert Bowers, 46, has been charged in the October 2018 shooting that left 11 worshipers dead. His attorneys pleaded not guilty on his behalf in November and requested a jury trial.
Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty on charges that include obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, use and discharge of a firearm to commit murder and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
Prosecutors say their intent to seek the death penalty is justified because Bowers’ anti-Semitic views played a role in the shooting, the shooting was intentional and he showed no remorse, according to a federal notice to seek the death penalty.
Bowers has been indicted on 63 federal charges, including hate crime charges, according to a superseding indictment issued in January 2019. Of the 63 charges, 22 counts carry the death penalty, a Justice Department news release in January said.