Poway synagogue gunman pleads not guilty to murder

Arutz Sheva ^ | 6/10/19 | Marcy Oster

[Eleutheria5]

The accused gunman in the deadly shooting at a San Diego-area synagogue pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder.

In addition to entering pleas on Thursday in a San Diego court for firing an assault rifle inside the Chabad of Poway synagogue, John Earnest, 20, also pleaded not guilty to arson charges for a fire a month earlier at a nearby mosque, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, 10 News reported.

One woman, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, was killed and three people were wounded, including an 8-year-old girl and the synagogue’s rabbi, who lost a finger, in the April 27 shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue.

The murder charge has been classified as a hate crime, making Earnest eligible for the death penalty, though prosecutors from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office have not said whether they will seek that punishment.

Earnest is being held without bail. He is due back in court on December 5, when a trial date will be set.

Earnest also faces more than 100 hate crime-related counts filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and could also face the death penalty in the federal case, the Times of San Diego reported.

Earnest told a 911 operator in the moments after the attack that he did it to save white people from Jews.

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[ifinnegan]

Got to wonder what possible basis is there for a not guilty plea.

[Eleutheria5]

That he believes he was doing a public service, and that Jooos! are a deadly menace and he deserves accolades for killing an old lady and shooting a rabbi’s fingers off. Not punishment.

He’s nuts, of course. But this is his thinking. Does he have legal counsel? If so, they ought to have him declared incompetent and change his plea to nolo contendre against his will.

[Meatspace]

Then put him on trial for everyone to see, find him guilty and sentence him to death.

[Eleutheria5]

That would be the best result as far as I’m concerned, but he will have counsel, and his counsel will not let this suicidal plea stand. He’ll have him declared insane, and either do a nolo contendre plea, or an insanity defense, if that’s not what this is already, and turn it into a nolo contendre in exchange for life without parole. This won’t see a jury.

He’ll still get to be a martyr and write a rambling manifesto and autobiography from prison, where he’ll be a hero to the Aryan Nation faction. Welcome to the 21st Century.