Judge: Death Penalty on Table for Synagogue Massacre Suspect

Judge: Death Penalty on Table for Synagogue Massacre Suspect
(L): Robert Bowers. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP); The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa. John Altdorfer/Reuters
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PITTSBURGH—A federal judge has rejected a bid by the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting to have the death penalty removed as a potential sentencing option.

Lawyers for Robert Bowers argued that capital punishment violates the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause and the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.