Not guilty plea in synagogue shooting

The accused gunman in the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 dead and seven wounded in October pleaded not guilty to 19 additional criminal counts Monday morning.

A grand jury added the charges Jan. 29 to the 44 charges Robert Bowers, 46, faced after the shooting Oct. 27 during Saturday morning Sabbath services. The new charges include more hate crime violations, the obstruction of religious belief and the use of a firearm during crimes of violence.

Bowers, a former truck driver from Baldwin, Pennsylvania, appeared Monday with his new attorney, Judy Clarke. She told the judge she does not want the case to go to trial, signaling that Bowers may be open to a plea deal from prosecutors.

Clarke represented Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and mass shooter Jared Loughner, who shot and injured Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Bowers allegedly entered the synagogue last year screaming anti-Semitic epithets, such as “All Jews must die.” He posted on Gab, a social media site linked to white nationalism and the far-right, that “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I’m going in.”

Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have yet to decide whether to pursue the death penalty against Bowers, according to The Associated Press. If convicted, Bowers also could face life in prison without parole.

After the arraignment, Bowers returned to Butler County Prison, approximately 35 miles north of the synagogue. He was mostly silent Monday, giving only yes or no answers to the judge.