The Poway shooter could be an exception for California's moratorium on capital punishment

John Earnest.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The 19-year-old San Diego man who was charged with murder after a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, on Saturday, was held without bail on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to the alleged crime in his first court appearance. The alleged shooter, John Earnest, reportedly did not speak during the arraignment, where a judge called him an "obvious and extraordinary" risk to the public.

Earnest could face the death penalty if convicted, CNN reports, because he is accused of killing a woman — 60-year-old Lori Gilbert Kaye — based on her religious beliefs, a special circumstance which could allow California to go through with the sentencing despite Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordering a moratorium on capital punishment in March.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.