Bowers’ defense team files motion to exhume his father’s body to prove paternity

Attorneys for Robert Bowers have filed a motion to exhume the body of his father, Randall George Bowers, to confirm paternity.

The motion states that the government has interjected into the case its “speculative theory” that Randall Bowers is not the father of Robert Bowers, who was convicted of killing 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.

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The purpose of the exhumation is to obtain DNA to prove paternity. At issue is whether Robert Bowers has schizophrenia. Randall Bowers was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which is believed to be hereditary.

The defense claims that Robert Bowers has mental health issues, including schizophrenia, that should spare him from receiving the death penalty.

In the motion, the defense claims that the government has instilled doubt into the jurors’ minds about Bowers’ paternity.

“... Speculative governmental theories should play no role in the decision of whether Mr. Bowers lives or dies,” the motion states.

When Bowers was seven years old, his father was charged with rape and other sex crimes. Six months later, he was getting ready to go to trial on those charges when he committed suicide at a campground in Tionesta Township, Forest County.

Randall Bowers is buried in Shaler Township, according to court documents.

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