Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Brady
Western District of Pennsylvania
Robert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin, Pennsylvania, was charged in a 63-count Superseding Indictment
returned today. The original Indictment filed on October 31, 2018 charged Bowers with 44 counts.
The Superseding Indictment adds 13 violations of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, as well as corresponding counts for discharging a firearm during those crimes
of violence. The Superseding Indictment specifically alleges that Bowers willfully caused bodily
injury to 11 deceased and 2 surviving victims because of their actual and perceived religion.
According to the Superseding Indictment, on October 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the Tree of Life
Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where members of the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New
Light Jewish congregations gathered to engage in religious worship. Bowers entered the building
armed with multiple firearms, including three Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle. While
inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers opened fire, killing and injuring members of the three
congregations, as well as injuring multiple responding police officers as they attempted to rescue
surviving victims.
The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on October 10, 2018, Bowers posted statements on
the website gab.com that were critical of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and affiliated
congregations hosting refugee-related events. That list of congregations included the Dor Hadash
Jewish congregation of Pittsburgh. Before entering the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018,
Bowers posted the following on the website gab.com: “HIAS 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.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, while inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers made
statements indicating his desire to “kill Jews.”
The victims include 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue who were killed, 2 congregants
who were critically injured by Bowers and 12 congregants who escaped unharmed. Additionally,
the victims include 5 responding police officers who were injured while attempting to rescue
surviving victims and apprehend Bowers.
Assistant United States Attorneys Troy Rivetti and Soo C. Song, along with DOJ Trial Attorney Julia
Gegenheimer, are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Allegheny County Police, which conducted the investigation
leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case. Brady also recognized and thanked the dozens
of federal, state and local law enforcement officers who assisted in the investigation.
The defendant faces a maximum possible penalty of life without parole, followed by a consecutive
sentence of 250 years’ imprisonment. Further, twenty-two counts in the Superseding Indictment are
capital-eligible offenses. Should the Attorney General of the United States determine that the
circumstances of the offenses are such that a sentence of death is justified, the law requires that notice
be filed with the court at a reasonable time before trial.
###