Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial — live: Survivors recall hiding in closet as Robert Bowers faces death penalty

Day two of the trial of Robert Bowers began in Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning.

Judge Robert Colville noted to attendees that a visitor to the courtroom yesterday was diagnosed with Covid-19. The judge assured those in attendance that the courtroom was cleaned and well ventilated.

Here’s a look at some of the powerful evidence presented to the jury so far.

On day two of the trial, Carol Black, 71, a retired clinical audiologist, took the stand to share her experience on the day of the shooting.

She recalled Rabbi Jeffrey Myers telling her and others to hide in a small, dark closet as gunfire rang out throughout the building.

Another individual who was hiding with her, Mel Wax, 87, was partially in the doorway of the closet and partially in the connecting hallway.

After some time, Mr Wax thought the shooting might be over. He peaked around the door, but the shooter was in the sanctuary and fired at him. He fell to floor dying just inches from Ms Black’s feet.

Ms Black recalled having to step over his body and a pool of blood to exit the space after the shooting. She said she gave him a silent goodbye as she fled the building.

Her brother, Richard Gottfried, was also killed in the shooting.

Mr Leger was at the Tree of Life synagogue the day of the shooting.

After a recess for lunch, Mr Leger described his experiences during the attack.

He said he began to hear gunfire and instinctively moved toward the sound hoping to help others injured in the attack. When he reached the lobby, the gunman shot him, hitting him in the chest. Mr Leger collapsed in a stairway.

He told the court he is a registered nurse, realised he was losing the ability to breathe and felt he was dying.

“I am a nurse, I have been with hundreds of people that were dying, I felt like I was dying,” he said.

Thankfully, he was rescued by SWAT officers and survived his injuries.

Mr Leger also told the jurors about the extent of his injuries during his testimony on Wednesday.

He said his wounds left him unable to use his rectum and noted that the wound ruptured his bladder.

He said he had to undergo multiple surgeries the day of the shooting to save his life. He again reiterated that the only reason he survived was thanks to the SWAT members who rescued him.

Another survivor of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue has taken the stand.

Barry Werber said he was one of the individuals hiding in the dark closet along with Carol Black and Mel Wax.

He corroborated Ms Black’s testimony that Mr Wax poked out of the door and was shot.

Mr Werber said after Mr Wax was shot, a dark figure stepped over the wounded man’s body and peered into the darkness of the room.

He said that he and Ms Black were hidden by the darkness in the room, and that the gunman left without discovering them.

The third day of the Robert Bowers trial began on Thursday.

The court released evidence that was used during yesterday’s testimony.

One photo shows a staircase — this is where Dan Leger collapsed after the gunman shot him in the abdomen. He recounted lying on the stairs and feeling as though he were about to die before SWAT officers rescued him. Mr Leger’s yarmulke can be seen on one of the steps.

Another room shows a narrow closet used for storage. That room was where Carol Black and Barry Weber hid in the dark from the gunman. Mel Wax was also in that room with them, but was shot and ultimately died when he poked his head out to see if the shooting was over.

Chilling photos showing from Tree of Life synagogue shooting revealed at Robert Bowers murder trial

Jurors sitting for the trial of accused Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooter Robert Bowers were shown photos of important — and in some cases, destroyed — objects at the crime scene on the first day of the alleged gunman‘s trial.

Mr Bowers is facing numerous charges for killing 11 people when police say he attacked the synagogue in October 2018.

Jurors were shown a few important items and locations from the synagogue to give them context for the rest of the trial. Among them were a Torah rescued from the Holocaust and the tiny bathroom where Rabbi Jeffrey Myers hid during the shooting.

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Rabbi Jonathan Perlman provided testimony early on Thursday.

He recalled helping Mel Wax, Carol Black, and Barry Werber hide in a dark closet while gunshots cracked elsewhere in the synagogue.

The rabbi eventually managed to escape when he found a door leading to a gutter. He managed to crawl across a neighbor’s lawn and call for police assistance.

Prosecutors asked Mr Perlman if he was still able to conduct services in the Tree of Life Synagogue despite the shooting.

He said “no.”

Stephen Weiss, a ritual director at the Tree of Life Synagogue, took the stand after Mr Perlman.

He recalled seeing the spent shell casings from the shooter's weapon before seeing the actual gunman, and leaning on the active shooter training he had previously taken to survive. He said once he saw the casings he began ushering other worshipers away from danger.

Mr Weiss said he raced through the maze-like halls of the facility as the shots were ringing out to deliver warnings to the congregants in other parts of the building.

He eventually managed to escape into an outdoor garden. From there he put space between himself and the facility while waiting for police to arrive.