Charged with the murder of 10 black people in the Buffalo attacks in New York, Payton Gendron faces 25 charges, including domestic terrorism and hate crimes, and could face a life sentence.
The accusation against 18-year-old Gendron is based on “intentional murder” after he shot a group of people at a local store in Buffalo on May 14.
The young man is accused of attempting to kill three people who were shot during the attack but survived.
Gendron was not guilty, and prosecutors said on May 20 that a jury had voted to charge him, “prosecutions were continuing” at the time.
Jendron’s lawyer Brian Parker said he “did not see the accusation and could not comment”.
He mentioned that “the judge prevented them from discussing the case in public”.
And if Gendron is convicted of the charges, he could face life in prison because New York state does not have the death penalty and the “terrorist allegation” is emotionally resonant to send an important message about extremism.
Gendron was accused of “domestic terrorism” in connection with “murder because of race or color.”
Former state governor Andrew Cuomo proposed the National Terrorism and Hate Crimes Act in August 2019 following a massive shooting by Mexicans at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, and became law in April 2020 and took effect the same year.
Source: EU
Source: Arabic RT
