Poway synagogue gunman sentenced to life plus 30 years for deadly shooting
The then-19-year-old college student who opened fire in a San Diego synagogue in 2019, killing one and wounding three, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to life in prison, plus 30 years.
John Earnest, now 22, pleaded guilty in September to 113 counts including civil rights violations, hate crimes and weapons charges for the attack on the Poway Chabad synagogue and the attempted burning of the Dar-ul-Arqam mosque in Escondido a month earlier.
The new sentence is in addition the life sentence from the state, handed down as part of a deal for pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder and hate crimes. The two life sentences will run consecutively.
“All people in this country should be able to freely exercise their religion without fear of being attacked,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Tuesday.
“This defendant’s horrific crime was an assault on fundamental principles of our nation. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to confronting unlawful acts of hate and to holding perpetrators of hate-fueled violence accountable.”
On the morning of Passover, April 27, 2019, Earnest drove to the synagogue with a fully loaded Smith and Wesson M&P 15 assault rifle and armed with a chest rig holding five more magazines, each loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, according to prosecutors.
Inside the temple, he opened fire, killing 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye and wounding Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 8-year-old Noya Dahan and her uncle, Almog Peretz.
Earnest then left the area, called 911 and admitted he had “just shot up a synagogue.” He was apprehended quickly by local police.
Shortly before the shooting, Earnest posted his screed online, a hate-filled manifesto filled with anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim comments.
“I can only kill so many Jews,” he wrote. “I only wish I killed more.”
He also spoke fondly of the gunman who killed 11 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the March 2019 shootings at New Zealand mosques that left 51 people dead.
“While today’s sentence brings an end to this case, it also reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to pursue those who operate in the world of prejudice and religious hate,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner said in a statement Tuesday.
“Hate crimes tear at the social fabric of our community. The FBI stands with our state and federal partners to ensure houses of worship are free from bias-motivated violence, and we will use all investigative tools to seek justice for the victims.”
