- In 2018, Robert Bowers, who was sentenced to death, murdered nearly a dozen people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Another West Virginia man, Hardy Carroll Lloyd, said he sent threatening social media posts and emails to jurors and witnesses in a shooting trial.
- Lloyd, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, has pleaded guilty and could be sentenced to more than six years in prison.
A self-proclaimed white supremacist has pleaded guilty to making online threats against jurors and witnesses in the trial of a man who killed 11 members of a Pittsburgh synagogue, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
As part of a plea agreement in federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia, Hardy Carol Lloyd will be able to ensure that the actual or perceived Jewish beliefs of government witnesses and victims in the trial of Robert Bowers were not used by jurors. He admitted that this led to the targeting of staff members and witnesses.
Lloyd, 45, of Follansbee, West Virginia, could face more than six years in prison if the plea deal is accepted by the court.
Pittsburgh synagogue gunman found guilty of killing 11 people in federal death penalty trial
A temporary memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in response to the October 29, 2018, shooting in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
The Justice Department described Lloyd as a self-proclaimed leader of the white supremacist movement. Prosecutors said Lloyd, who was arrested on Aug. 10, sent threatening social media posts and emails along with comments on websites during Bowers’ trial. Lloyd pleaded guilty to obstructing the proper administration of justice.
Bowers was sentenced to death last month after a jury decided the death penalty was appropriate.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Hardy Lloyd attempted to obstruct a federal hate crime trial for the worst anti-Semitic attack in American history,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “His guilty plea underscores that anyone who attempts to obstruct a federal trial by threatening or intimidating jurors or witnesses will be met with the full force of the Department of Justice.”
In May 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety obtained information leading to Lloyd’s arrest after he allegedly posted a series of comments online threatening to bring a firearm onto Texas Capitol grounds and challenge police officers who attempted to do so. A cash reward of up to $1,000 was offered. to “bring enforcement action” against him. Lloyd was a convicted felon, the department said in a statement.
