Shooting suspect pleads not guilty

PITTSBURGH — The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre pleaded not guilty to hate crimes and dozens of other counts Monday, but his new lawyer — a prominent death penalty litigator who represented one of the Boston Marathon bombers — signaled he might be open to a plea deal.

Robert Bowers, a truck driver who authorities say gunned down 11 people at Tree of Life Synagogue, appeared in federal court with attorney Judy Clarke, who expressed hope the case will be resolved without a trial.

Clarke is known for negotiating plea deals that helped some of the nation’s most infamous killers avoid death row, including Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph and Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner, who killed six people and injured 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.