Robert Bowers: Attorneys For Suspected Tree Of Life Gunman Seek Racial Data Of Prospective Juror Pool
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Accused Tree of Life gunman Robert Bowers and his legal team continue to challenge the jury selection system in Western Pennsylvania.
His defense team just filed another motion asking for the "geocoding data" and "programming code" used by a government expert hired to assess the jury pool in the area.
Bowers is accused of killing 11 Jewish congregants as they prayed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood in 2018.
>> COMPLETE COVERAGE: Tree of Life shooting
He claims the list of registered voters used to find jury members "significantly underrepresent" African-Americans, African-American men, Hispanics and people who don't identify themselves as non-Hispanic whites.
The government's expert concluded the list of registered voters used for the 2016 jury wheels does represent the people of voting age in the Pittsburgh area, saying Black and Hispanic people are not underrepresented on the voter registration list.
Last month, citing pre-trial publicity, Bowers' defense team argued he won't be able to get a fair trial and filed for a change of venue.
