On May 17, 2022, the suspect in the deadly 2022 California church shooting was indicted on 98 federal counts, including hate-crime charges. The shooting took place on April 24, 2022, at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Poway, California, and resulted in the death of one person and the injury of three others.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old John Timothy Earnest, was arrested at the scene of the shooting and has been held in custody since then. The indictment against him includes charges of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, hate crime acts resulting in death, attempted obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury, and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence.
The indictment also includes allegations that Earnest posted a manifesto online prior to the shooting in which he expressed anti-Semitic and white supremacist beliefs. According to the indictment, Earnest “intentionally selected the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue because of the Jewish faith of its congregants, in order to maximize the harm, and in order to express his anti-Semitic views.”
The charges against Earnest carry a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty. The decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made by the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland.
In a statement following the indictment, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said, “We will vigorously pursue justice for the victims of this heinous crime and hold the defendant accountable for his alleged actions. We will not tolerate hate-motivated violence in any form and will use all available resources to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans to worship in peace.”
The shooting at Congregation Beth Israel was one of several high-profile incidents of anti-Semitic violence in the United States in recent years. It has sparked renewed calls for action to combat hate crimes and white supremacist ideology in the country.