A Glimpse Into the Evil and Dark Mind of the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter
During the eligibility phase, the court heard from medical experts and the correctional officer who cares for the shooter. New details from the day of the shooting comes to the surface.
Breaking News: Robert Bowers is a raging Antisemite.
But I thought we knew that. Well, we do, but the recent testimonies over the past few days have shown just how despicable and demented of a human being Robert Bowers is. Multiple psychology experts and a correctional officer from Butler County Prison were heard from.
During the guilt phase, which ended with Bowers being found guilty on all charges, we were shown numerous posts from his GAB social media account where white supremacy ideology was spewed from every direction. This was crucial evidence to support the hate crimes he was charged with in the first phase.
Maybe people have good hearts or are just natural optimists, but many people asked about Bowers’ demeanor in court, thinking he would show remorse for what he did. Possibly hoping that by facing his victims, Bowers would react similarly to the Parkland school shooter, who begged to have his life spared during his trial,
But no, the man who spent months scouring out different targets, blabbering on social media about how the Jews control everything, killing 11 Jews in a synagogue, and who has shown zero emotional reaction during the entire trial will always be a Jew hater.
So far, we have heard from the innocent victims—the ones who just wanted to go and pray at their synagogue. We have heard from family members and first responders as we tried to understand what they went through on October 27th, 2018.
We have not heard from the shooter, and we probably never will or should, for that matter, but on Thursday and Friday, the court got an inside look into the darkness behind Bowers’ and many other antisemites’ minds.
During this part of the trial, the eligibility phase, the defense must show that there are enough factors present that he should not be eligible for the death penalty. Here, they are trying to prove how delusional Bowers was and how his schizophrenia played a part in his acting out his delusional beliefs. If it is proven to the jury’s liking that, due to his issues, he was unable to form proper intent, he would not be eligible for the death penalty.
PSYCHOLOGIST TESTIMONY
All week, the defense brought out multiple experts to have them take a look at the defendant's brain. Even though the defense called the experts, they continuously disagreed. One doctor claimed the scans were difficult to interpret, while others confidently diagnosed him with schizophrenia and epilepsy. A really poor showing by the defense, legally speaking.
On Thursday, forensic psychologist Richard Rogers took the stand to discuss his evaluations with Bowers over four days last fall. His notes were long and filled with new information that was completely unknown to the public. Throughout his conversations with Bowers, they talked about his motives, actions, and feelings about Jews.
I knew he was a despicable human, but wow, is he sadistic…
He went into the Tree of Life with three goals:
Stop the Jews from supporting immigration
Dissuade other Jews from supporting immigration
Be a beacon for other white nationalists to follow in his footsteps
He hoped to be a light for others who felt as he did and for them to rise and continue what he started. Bowers was disappointed that he did not get a parade and that people weren’t following in his footsteps. Yes, this is something he said. He said he was proud of his actions, painting himself as the solution to the problem, the Jewish problem.
Rogers heard firsthand how planned this attack was. For months, Bowers researched multiple high-level Jews and organizations. He would go on Google Maps to scout out the location of these targets, weighing the possibility of even traveling to Sweden to kill Barbara Lerner-Spectre. Spectre is a massive supporter of allowing immigrants into Europe. After taking Sweden off the table, he ultimately decided on The Tree of Life synagogue and the local JCC.
Once he settled on those two targets, he decided to do it the week after the ‘Welcome Campaign’ at the Tree of Life because he thought killing children would be bad optics. (Somehow, he knew the children would not be there on 10/27.)
According to the testimony, Bowers drove to the synagogue, peered inside, and saw five people. However, he decided that wasn’t enough for what he hoped would be the largest antisemitic attack in US history. So he drove a couple of blocks to the JCC, where he passed by the police station, which was a little too close for him to the JCC. In testimony, Rogers noted this, but speaking as someone who lives on the same block as the police station, the opposite is true. The Tree of Life is closer to the police station, so it was interesting to hear this as the reason he didn’t attack the JCC.
Rogers continued his testimony Friday before the defense and prosecution, detailing the idealogy that Bowers claimed as his motive. Rogers talked about how Bowers expressed that he looked at himself as a warrior, not suicidal, but as someone protecting his people. He went there to kill Jews and even noted how he tried not to kill the law enforcement officers when shooting at them. He avidly believed in classic white supremacy beliefs such as white genocide and the Great Replacement theory. It is scary to think about how many people in America subscribe to these beliefs.
When Bowers was asked to describe his mindset after he was arrested, he said he felt pleased; however, he wished he would have killed more, describing the murdered as a ‘Yiddish dozen.’
CORRECTIONAL OFFICER TESTIMONY
I have been reporting that Bowers seems unsettlingly unemotional this whole trial, almost as if he is getting off hearing the victims and seeing the graphic images. He is unfazed and unmoved by anything, sometimes making me wonder if life in prison would do anything to him. I made eye contact with him once, which was terrifying.
Then Michael Robinson testified, and that's when I almost lost it.
Michael Robinson is a correctional officer at Butler County Prison, where Bowers was being held. He was called up to speak about whether he had observed Bowers having seizures (he hadn't) and what his regular activities as an inmate would be.
Bowers would have access to a TV and computer, and what he chose to do with that access chilled my bones. Robinson told the court how he would observe Bowers watching TV coverage of the attack, sometimes seeing him smirk while watching. He then said how Bowers would go and look up the names of his victims; the innocent people massacred by him were a source of entertainment for this sadistic human.
Many people think he should be imprisoned for life and have the key thrown away. I am well aware of the arguments against and for the death penalty, having recently completed a college term paper on the subject. It’s not a simple issue to fix; it has its issues: appeals, opening up old wounds, etc. But in my opinion, which is not something I offer a lot of while covering this case, this man should get the death penalty.
After hearing testimony about his behavior and seeing his lack of remorse in response to the graphic evidence and testimony, I think keeping him alive would do nothing to his conscience and state of mind. He is a crazy, sadistic, and hateful person who should be punished like a rabid dog.