The suspect in the mass shooting deaths of 10 Black customers at a Buffalo grocery store earlier this year pleaded guilty to numerous hate crime and murder charges, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Payton Gendron, 19, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime, along with domestic terror and weapons charges. He will be sentenced on Feb. 15, 2023.
The count of domestic terrorism in the first degree carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom for the hearing, which was supposed to take place last week but was delayed due to the massive lake-effect snowstorm that swept through the area. Immediate family members of the victims, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the city's police commissioner were in attendance at the hearing Monday.
The suspect is accused of opening fire at Tops grocery store in May after traveling more than 200 miles to Buffalo from his home near Binghamton. He was charged in federal and state courts with multiple counts of murder and hate crimes. He initially pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Gendron previously pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges that could result in a death sentence if he is convicted and the U.S. Justice Department decides to pursue capital punishment. DOJ has not said whether it will go that route.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn described the ruling as "swift justice."
In a Facebook post, Flynn also noted the following:
The defendant is the first person to be indicted and convicted under New York State Penal Law 490.28 'Domestic Act of Terrorism Motivated by Hate in the First Degree' for the intentional murder of ten innocent people and the attempted murder of three survivors who were shot in a planned attack against African American civilians on May 14, 2022.
Attorneys for the victims, as well as the defense attorneys, spoke later Monday morning.
“This critical step represents a condemnation of the racist ideology that fueled his horrific actions on May 14,” Gendron’s lawyer, Brian Parker, said. “It is our hope that a final resolution of the state charges will help in some small way to keep the focus on the needs of the victims and the community.”