The jury for Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter has begun deliberations to decide if the death penalty phase of the trial should continue

The jury in the trial of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter began deliberating Wednesday about whether he is eligible for the death penalty.

If the jury finds he is eligible, they will move to a final phase of the trial, called sentencing selection, to consider whether to recommend the death penalty for the capital offenses in light of all aggravating and mitigating factors.

This final phase is expected to last several weeks.

The jury can also decide Bowers is ineligible for the death penalty at this stage, ending their deliberations and resulting in life sentences for the capital counts.

Robert Bowers, 50, was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for killing 11 worshipers and wounding six others at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.

The jury deliberated for about an hour. Deliberations resume Thursday morning.

The death penalty trial is split into two parts, the guilt phase followed by the penalty phase. In this case, however, the judge granted the defense's request to split the trial into three parts: the guilt phase, the eligibility phase and the sentencing selection phase. Each part has opening statements, closing arguments and a verdict.