Alleged Holocaust Shooter Might Get Death Penalty

5080653WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) He may not have much of a face left, but white supremacist James Von Brunn still had to face a U.S. jury Wedenesday who hit him with new hate crime charges for which Von Brunn could face the death penalty if convicted.

The charges stem from the fatal shooting of a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

Officials say the 89-year-old shot and killed museum guard Stephen T. Johns. Von Brunn was shot in the face by other guards in the June 10 shootout, but survived. He has been in a hospital since the shooting last month.

A seven-count indictment was handed down Wednesday in U.S. District Court, charging von Brunn with first-degree murder, killing in a federal building - both charges already lodged against von Brunn - and bias-motivated crime. Four of the charges make him eligible for the death penalty.

The case has sparked renewed calls for expanded hate crimes legislation.

PREVIOUSLY ON CRIMESIDER
June 19, 2009 - FBI Finds Child Porn On Museum Suspect's Computer
June 15, 2009 - Shooter's Son: I Wish Dad Died Instead
June 11, 2009 - James Von Brunn Charged With Murder
June 11, 2009 - New Face Of Holocaust Terror
June 10, 2009 - Update: Holocaust Museum Guard Dead