Defense Rests In Synagogue Shooting Trial

July 31, 2023 4:46 am

(WPXI) – The defense and prosecution have rested their cases in the final phase of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial.  The prosecution does not have any rebuttal witnesses. The next step in this phase will be closing arguments.  The judge said he will go late into the night if needed to finish closings.  The jury has decided that Robert Bowers, who killed 11 worshippers in a Squirrel Hill synagogue in 2018, is eligible for the death penalty.  On Friday, Dr. George Corvin, a psychiatrist who examined Bowers on multiple occasions and diagnosed him with schizophrenia, returned to the stand.  Corvin said that Bowers’ delusional thinking made him believe that Jews were possessed by Satan, which led to the shooting.  Corvin said a history of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, led to this distorted thinking.  Bowers’ uncle and aunt also testified Friday.