Search the Internet          Tips

Baumhammers found guilty on five counts

Rejecting the defense theory that Richard Scott Baumhammers was insane at the time of his killing spree, that left five people dead and a man paralyzed for life, a Pittsburgh jury found the 35-year-old man guilty on five counts of first-degree murder.

The verdict came after less than two hours of deliberation, following a 12-day trial.

Baumhammers remained emotionless as the guilty verdicts were read. He looked briefly at the jury foreman as the verdict began to be read and then looked farther, offering a picture of a man who did not care what was happening around.

This was in stark contrast to the image painted by fellow jail mates and some psychiatrists who swore that Baumhammers had boasted about the murders, particularly that of an African American.

Now, the jury of seven men and five women is deliberating whether Baumhammers, whose hatred for immigrants was well documented throughout the trial, should die by lethal injection or serve life in prison without a chance of parole.

Had the jury declared Baumhammers insane, he would have been confined to a mental hospital and his case would have to be reviewed periodically.

''I was praying that they found him guilty,'' said Leena Patel, who brother Sandip, the lone survivor in the attack, is paralyzed for life below his neck. She said her brother would like to see Baumhammers die.

''At least he should suffer what my brother is suffering,'' she said. A few days ago, as the trial was progressing, her husband Vijay had said he did not want to see Baumhammers die by lethal injection. Rather, he said, he would love to see him lose his limbs and suffer for life.

On hearing the verdict, Vijay Patel said, ''I think the death penalty would be easy for him.''

Vijay, Leena and Sandip ran India Grocers, where Anil Thakur, 31, a customer, was killed and Sandip was shot twice.

All Baumhammers's victims were minorities.

Baumhammers went around suburban Pittsburgh on April 28, 2000, carefully choosing victims. One of them he knew was Anita Gordon, 63, a neighbor who was a Jew. Others were chosen at random but not before Baumhammers made sure they were minorities. The killings took place over 90 minutes, during a 22-mile drive.

Baumhammers, son of wealthy Latvian immigrants, was also found guilty of eight counts of ethnic intimidation and a number of other offenses, including carrying a concealed gun without a license. He had threatened two Pakistani doctors, nearly a year before the shooting rampage. He had got upset that the doctors were chatting in a foreign language -- Urdu.

Baumhammers, whose parents spoke a Baltic language, wanted to limit immigration to Whites.

Though the jurors heard details about Baumhammers's mental illness and the claim he heard 'voices' that told him to kill, they went along with the prosecution's assertion that Baumhammers did have the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

The defense had argued the shootings were not prompted by racial hatred, but from Baumhammers not taking medication. William Difenderfer, an attorney for Baumhammers, acknowledged in his hour-long closing that the two words 'not guilty' were difficult to say.

But, he said, "Sometimes, the truth takes courage."

Prosecutor Edward Borkowski talked about moral courage and asked the jury to "rid the community of the infamy of a notion that an unfounded insanity defense would prevail."

Borkowski also asserted Baumhammers did not display any symptoms of his disease around the time of the shooting . ''Cold, deliberate, calculating. And selective,'' Borkowski said in a measured tone. ''That describes his conduct that day.''

Defense lawyer James Wymard had sought to limit testimonies from the families of victims. He succeeded to an extent, but he could not get the judge to exclude Sandip Patel's appearance. Wymard had argued it would be 'highly prejudicial'.

But Judge Jeffrey Manning declared, ''When you shoot someone and paralyze him for life, you have to expect that he may show up and testify against you.''

Difenderfer told reporters on Wednesday that even if Baumhammers was sentenced to die, he would not be executed, as he expects mental health and anti-death penalty lobbies to work against the verdict. There could also be an appeal, he said.

Earlier, he had said Baumhammers's parents believed their son should be confined to a prison hospital for life.

EARLIER REPORTS:
'Don't kill him. Chop off His Limbs'
'He said hey, and just shot me...'
'I Feel Great. I Just Shot a Nigger'
'Why don't you leave this country?'

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report