US won’t seek death penalty in California synagogue shooting

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty for a 22-year-old former nursing student charged in a deadly shooting at a Southern California synagogue on the last day of Passover in 2019. The decision was disclosed Monday in a one-sentence court filing. It comes less than two months after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland halted federal executions while the Justice Department conducts a review of its policies and procedures. John T. Earnest is also charged in state court. He pleaded guilty in July after agreeing to serve the rest of his life in state prison.