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Third week of testimony begins in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial

In this courtroom sketch, Judge Robert Colville presides over the federal trial for Robert Bowers, the suspect in the 2018 synagogue massacre, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in the downtown Pittsburgh courthouse of the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania.
David Klug
/
AP
In this courtroom sketch, Judge Robert Colville presides over the federal trial for Robert Bowers, the suspect in the 2018 synagogue massacre, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in the downtown Pittsburgh courthouse of the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania.

A third week of testimony in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial begins on Monday.

Last week’s proceedings featured testimony from law enforcement and first responders, as well as forensic experts who detailed the subsequent investigation of the alleged gunman, Robert Bowers.

Much of the testimony early in the week came from first responders, including police, SWAT and EMS. Medical examiners offered testimony about the extensive injuries suffered by the victims.

The FBI took the stand later in the week. One retired agent said it took more than 60 officials nine days to process the crime scene.

Prosecutors also presented evidence about defendant Robert Bowers’ antisemitic and white supremacist beliefs. A forensic examination of a phone registered to Bowers showed that it accessed a website where antisemitic content is common and not removed by moderators just moments before he allegedly entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and shot and killed 11 Jewish worshipers.

Other data gathered from the phone included what appeared to be a handful of selfies of Bowers, including one in which he is making a hand gesture that historically has meant “OK” but in recent years has become associated with white supremacists.

The trial is expected to last into July.

Julia Zenkevich