San Diego synagogue shooter enters guilty plea, evades death penalty
The former nursing student who killed one person and injured three others in a synagogue shooting on the last day of Passover in 2019 pleaded guilty to murder and a plethora of other charges.
With the plea deal in San Diego Superior Court, John Earnest, 22, will avoid the death penalty when his sentence is handed down to him on Sept. 30. The San Diego County district attorney’s office said that Earnest agreed to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
In April 2019, armed with a semiautomatic rifle, Earnest opened fire at Chabad of Poway, killing 60-year-old Lord Gilbert-Kaye, and wounding three others, including a young girl, and the rabbi, who lost a finger.
Before arranging the plea deal, the district attorney engaged in conversations with the families of the victims, according to USA Today.
“While we reserved the option of trying this as a death penalty case, life in prison without the possibility of parole for the defendant is an appropriate resolution to this violent hate crime and we hope it brings a measure of justice and closure to the victims, their families, friends and the wider community,” the district attorney’s office said.
Earnest reported his own crime to police in a 911 call where he could be heard saying that he shot up the synagogue because Jews were attempting to “destroy all white people,” police said at the time.
In federal court, Earnest is facing similar charges. Prosecutors in that case have until Aug. 30 to decide whether or not the death penalty will be an option for his sentence.
“This plea ensures the defendant is held accountable for his crimes under California state law,” the office said.
