The Facts
On Monday, jurors heard opening arguments in federal court about whether the gunman who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 should receive the death penalty.
Last week, Robert Bowers was convicted of all 63 counts he'd been charged with — including hate crimes — for carrying out the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history.
The Spin
Narrative A
Bowers committed the ultimate evil when he attacked the Pittsburgh synagogue — his punishment should be nothing less than the death penalty. There are no ethical or religious reasons to spare the perpetrator's life after such a terrible act.
Narrative B
The death penalty is ineffective and inhumane. Instead of killing Bowers, the government has a responsibility to educate and rehabilitate him. Dialogue is the better and more just course of action — antisemitism should be tackled with education.
