‘They Can Kill Me If They Want, But The Score Was 11-1:’ Pittsburgh Synagogue Killer’s Chilling Message to Psychiatrist

The neo-Nazi gunman who murdered 11 people and wounded six more in an attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh in Oct. 2018 boasted that the death toll guarantees him a victory even if he is executed for his crime, a leading psychiatrist told a Pittsburgh jury on Monday.

“They can kill me if they want, but the score was 11-1,” the gunman, Robert Bowers, stated during an interview with the psychiatrist, Dr. Park Dietz, according to testimony given by Dietz at Bowers’ ongoing trial.

A forensic psychiatrist who has examined and testified about many high-profile defendants, including serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Dietz interviewed Bowers at Butler County Prison over the course of three days.

While Bowers’ guilt for the atrocity — the worst antisemitic outrage in American history — is not in dispute, the jury is deliberating over his eligibility for the death penalty. Whether his action was driven by mental instability or ideological belief is a key consideration for the jurors in this regard.

Dietz was in no doubt that “Bowers had the capacity to form the intent to kill.” Dietz cited Bowers’ “organized, goal-directed thoughts and behavior before, during and after the attack,” local broadcaster WTAE reported. Asked by a prosecuting attorney whether Bowers believed his murder of Jews was justified, Dietz replied in the affirmative, arguing that the atrocity was the consequence of a “cultural white supremacist belief system he shares with others.”

According to Dietz’s diagnosis, Bowers does not suffer from psychosis, schizophrenia or any form of mental delusion. He noted that Bowers started planning the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting six months in advance and quoted the killer’s regret that “there wasn’t dozens and dozens more” potential victims at the synagogue. He testified that Bowers told him he had aimed at “the best target I had available” and that he had selected the Tree of Life Synagogue to “get the most bang for his buck.”

Bowers had described himself as “calm and focused” as he carried out the atrocity, expressing satisfaction that none of his weapons had malfunctioned and praising the “tactical advantages” of his AR-15 assault rifle, Dietz said.

Should the jury decide that Bowers is eligible for the death penalty, a final decision on whether to sentence him to this fate would come following further testimony.

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