PITTSBURGH — The wife of a rabbi who narrowly escaped death at the Tree of Life synagogue is calling for faith over vengeance.
In an op-ed for the Jerusalem Post, Beth Kissileff, the wife of Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, asked to spare the life of accused killer Robert Bowers, who allegedly opened fire inside the synagogue in October killing 11 people and injuring seven others.
Reading this in the WPXI News App? Click the + next to the headline to subscribe to alerts as we learn more about the survivors and the suspect's upcoming trial.
“Calling for the death penalty means there is no possibility for the shooter to repent, to change or to improve. I would rather not foreclose that possibility of change, slim as it may be, by putting someone to death," Kissileff said.
A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office told Channel 11 the decision about whether to pursue the death penalty against Bowers remains under review.
RELATED:
- Additional hate crimes, firearms charges filed against accused synagogue shooter
- Judge seals all evidence, documents related to Robert Bowers' case
- Synagogue shooting suspect's waives status conference, federal prosecutor assigned
- Timeline of events at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh
- Federal grand jury indicts Pittsburgh shooting suspect Robert Bowers
- Hate crimes, groups have history in Pittsburgh area
- Tree of Life shooting suspect to be represented by Boston Marathon bomber attorney
Cox Media Group