Jury ends 1st day of deliberations on whether Pittsburgh synagogue shooter should be sentenced to death

The jury in the trial of Robert Bowers, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers and wounded six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, began deliberations Tuesday on whether to sentence him to death.

The deliberations ended after seven hours Tuesday afternoon with no verdict. The court will reconvene Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.

A decision to sentence the gunman to death must be unanimous. Otherwise, he will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Shortly after starting Tuesday morning, the jury requested and was granted the ability to examine the guns used in the shooting.

Bowers, 50, was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018, the deadliest ever attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.

The jury further found he was eligible for the death penalty on July 13, moving the trial to a third and final sentencing stage.

The final phase of the trial focused on aggravating and mitigating factors that potentially apply to Bowers. The prosecution highlighted testimony from victims' family members talking about their loved ones, as well as Bowers' continued hatred toward Jews and lack of remorse about his actions.