Gendron in Court as Jury Questionnaires in Federal Death Penalty Trial Begin
Prospective jurors will be screened on death-penalty views and impartiality as prosecutors seek capital punishment in the federal case.
- On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Vilardo began jury selection for the federal death penalty trial of Payton Gendron, summoning approximately 1,200 potential jurors to the U.S. District Court in Buffalo to complete detailed questionnaires.
- Gendron, now 22, is serving life without parole for the May 14, 2022, attack at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo that killed 10 Black people; federal prosecutors now pursue separate capital charges for the racially motivated shooting.
- Jury selection focuses entirely on whether candidates can impose the death penalty, a process ABC News legal analyst Brian Buckmire described as an "uphill battle" for the defense as attorneys assess juror impartiality on capital punishment.
- Outside the courthouse, activists including Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, protested the trial; some victims' families stated they want the proceedings so the world hears what happened on 5/14.
- Following the questionnaire phase, attorneys will conduct individual in-person questioning in August to select 12 jurors and alternates, with the federal trial expected to begin in October and potentially continue into 2027 to determine Gendron's sentence.
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Jury selection begins in Tops mass shooter federal trial
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Jury selection has started in the federal case against the Tops mass shooter. The first group out of more than 1,000 potential jurors entered the downtown Buffalo courtroom to hear from Judge Lawrence Vilardo on Monday. Vilardo shared details of the case -- including which evidence may be presented, like graphic [...]
Jury selection reaches pivotal moment in federal trial of Buffalo racist mass shooter - Regional Media News
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) - More than four years after he gunned down 10 Black people in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, Payton Gendron's federal trial reaches a crucial point on Monday in selecting a jury that will decide whether he lives or dies. Gendron, who will turn 23 next week, has already pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from the May 14, 2022, attack at a Tops supermarket, including domestic terroris…
Jury selection reaches pivotal moment in federal trial of Buffalo racist mass shooter
Payton Gendron (C) is escorted back into the courtroom by deputies after a disruption during sentencing in Buffalo, New York, Feb. 15, 2023. (Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images) (BUFFALO, N.Y.) — More than four years after he gunned down 10 Black people in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, Payton Gendron’s federal trial reaches a crucial point on Monday in selecting a jury that will decide whether he lives …
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