Wearing a black jail jumpsuit and held behind a glass partition, accused killer John Earnest showed no emotion Tuesday as prosecutors described his alleged attack on a Poway, California synagogue.
The Saturday shooting left one dead and several others wounded.
The 19-year-old Earnest nodded on occasion and answered “yes” when asked by the judge if he understood the proceedings.
Earnest is eligible for the death penalty, should prosecutors decide to pursue that. He was also charged in an arson attack at a mosque in Escondido last month.
The brief hearing came just 24 hours after friends and family gathered behind still bullet-riddled doors to say goodbye to Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who died in the attack.
“She had a soul that was greater than any of us ever could believe,” said Dr. Howard Kaye, her husband.
