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Members of the Kaye family, daughter Hannah (C) and her father, Howard (2nd-L), along with other mourners attend the funeral service for Lori Gilbert Kaye at El Camino cemetery in San Diego on April 29, 2019. File Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 28 (UPI) — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a gunman who opened fire at a California synagogue, killing one, to life in prison plus 30 years on hate crimes charges.
John Earnest pleaded guilty in September to a 113-count indictment of racially and religiously motivated crimes.
He’s currently serving life in prison without possibility of parole, plus 121 years to life, plus another 16 years on state charges as part of a plea agreement.
Earnest admitted to attacking the Chabad of Poway synagogue April 27, 2019, in San Diego. He killed Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, and injured Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 8-year-old Noya Dahan and her uncle, Almog Peretz.
Earnest also confessed to attempting to set fire to the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque in Escondido, Calif., because of his hatred of Muslims and the building’s religious appearance. No one was injured in that attack.
“All people in this country should be able to freely exercise their religion without fear of being attacked,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This defendant’s horrific crime was an assault on fundamental principles of our nation. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to confronting unlawful acts of hate and to holding perpetrators of hate-fueled violence accountable.”
1/4 Members of the Kaye family, daughter Hannah (C) and her father, Howard (2nd-L), along with other mourners attend the funeral service for Lori Gilbert Kaye at El Camino cemetery in San Diego on April 29, 2019. File Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo Dec. 28 (UPI) — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a gunman who opened fire at a California synagogue, killing one, to life in prison plus 30 years on hate crimes charges. John Earnest pleaded guilty in September to a 113-count indictment of racially and religiously motivated crimes. He’s currently serving life in prison without possibility of parole, plus 121 years to life, plus another 16 years on state charges as part of a plea agreement. Earnest admitted to attacking the Chabad of Poway synagogue April 27, 2019, in San Diego. He killed Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, and injured Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 8-year-old Noya Dahan and her uncle, Almog Peretz. Earnest also confessed to attempting to set fire to the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque in Escondido, Calif., because of his hatred of Muslims and the building’s religious appearance. No one was injured in that attack. “All people in this country should be able to freely exercise their religion without fear of being attacked,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This defendant’s horrific crime was an assault on fundamental principles of our nation. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to confronting unlawful acts of hate and to holding perpetrators of hate-fueled violence accountable.”