BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Justice Department plans to pursue the death penalty against a white supremacist responsible for the killing of 10 Black individuals at a Buffalo supermarket, federal prosecutors announced on Friday. In a rare move by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, the decision marks the first time in a new pursuit of the death penalty.
Payton Gendron, 20, is currently serving a life sentence without parole for state charges related to the 2022 attack, including murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism. While New York does not have capital punishment, the Justice Department has the option of seeking the death penalty in a separate federal hate crimes case.
Gendron drove over 200 miles from his home in rural Conklin, New York, to a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo’s largely Black East Side neighborhood, where he fatally shot eight supermarket customers, the store security guard, and a church deacon. Three others were injured in the attack but survived.
In a statement, Trini Ross, the US attorney for western New York, highlighted the extensive planning that went into the shooting, including the choice of location aimed at “maximizing the number of Black victims.”
Relatives of the victims have expressed mixed views on the decision to pursue the death penalty, with some finding a measure of relief and closure in the announcement. Meanwhile, Gendron’s attorney, Sonya Zoghlin, expressed disappointment, emphasizing that her client was 18 at the time of the shooting.
Since taking office, President Joe Biden, who opposes capital punishment, and Attorney General Merrick Garland have overseen a limited number of federal death penalty cases. The Justice Department has permitted the continuation of two capital prosecutions and withdrawn from pursuing death in more than two dozen cases.
Gendron’s attack on May 14, 2022, involved the use of a semi-automatic weapon marked with racial slurs, reflecting a reference to a conspiracy theory aimed at diminishing the influence of white people.
The decision to seek the death penalty comes after a meeting with several family members of the victims, who expressed a somber mood and a shared sense of healing and resilience in the face of the tragedy. Gendron did not appear at a recent status conference.
In a rare move by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, federal prosecutors announced on Friday that they plan to pursue the death penalty against a white supremacist responsible for the killing of 10 Black individuals at a Buffalo supermarket. Payton Gendron, 20, is currently serving a life sentence without parole for state charges related to the 2022 attack. While New York does not have capital punishment, the Justice Department has the option of seeking the death penalty in a separate federal hate crimes case. Gendron drove over 200 miles from his home in rural Conklin, New York, to a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo’s largely Black East Side neighborhood, where he fatally shot eight supermarket customers, the store security guard, and a church deacon. Three others were injured in the attack but survived. The decision to seek the death penalty comes after a meeting with several family members of the victims, who expressed a somber mood and a shared sense of healing and resilience in the face of the tragedy. Gendron did not appear at a recent status conference.