Mass Shooter Enters Shocking Plea in Court
(DailyVantage.com) – On May 14, 18-year-old Payton Gendron allegedly walked into a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York and opened fire, seemingly targeting black people. In the days and weeks following the tragedy, authorities uncovered a manifesto reportedly belonging to Gendron on Discord, which contained details of his plans. According to the AP, the document contained drawings of the supermarket layout and tallies of how many black people he saw, leading many to believe this was a premeditated hate crime. Federal prosecutors recently indicted him on hate crimes charges, and he pleaded not guilty.
Just now: according to @SPECNewsBrianne, Buffalo shooter Payton Gendron pleads not guilty to 27 federal charges, including hate crimes and weapons charges.
A reminder that on June 2, he also pleaded not guilty to 25 NY state charges against him, including terrorism.
— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) July 18, 2022
On Monday, July 18, Gendron entered his not guilty plea for 27 federal hate crime charges stemming from the deaths of 10 black people. These include 10 counts of a hate crime resulting in death, 13 charges of using a firearm in a hate crime, three counts of hate crimes involving intent to kill, and one count alleging he tried to kill other black people in the area.
These charges could result in the death penalty if the Department of Justice (DOJ) decides to argue for it; prosecutors will determine what penalties they will seek later. Additionally, Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of the arsenal seized from Gendron’s car and home and the weapon used in the crime, a Bushmaster XM-15.
In addition to the 27 federal charges, Gendron also pleaded not guilty to 25 state charges, including domestic terrorism, which carries an automatic life sentence if the courts find him guilty.
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