Story perspectives

Jury selection begins Oct. 13 in Gendron death trial

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 3:56 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Gendron Death-Penalty Trial

Federal court in Buffalo will begin jury selection for Payton Gendron’s death-penalty trial on Oct 13.
Gendron faces 27 federal hate-crime charges for the May 14, 2022 Buffalo massacre.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty because of his racist motive, victim impact and incitement intent.
The government listed three aggravating factors, including white-supremacist ideology, in its notice of intent.
Jurors will be questioned in groups of 70 to choose 12 jurors and six alternates.

Summary

Jones Demands Eternal Prison

Wayne Jones, whose mother Celestine Chaney was killed, wants Gendron to suffer in prison forever.
Garnell Whitfield, who lost his mother Ruth, urges the trial to expose the radicalization behind the attack.
FBI data released in August shows over 2,800 anti-Black hate crimes in 2025, nearly three times Latino incidents.
Analyst Brian Levin says Gendron fits a pattern of young white males using manifestos to justify massacres.

History

Historical Context

Timothy McVeigh’s 1995 Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 people, leading to his 1997 conviction and the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act that expanded federal death-penalty authority. Prosecutors now cite that precedent while selecting a jury for Payton Gendron, charged with the May 2022 Buffalo massacre and also facing capital punishment.

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Gendron Death-Penalty Trial

Federal court in Buffalo will begin jury selection for Payton Gendron’s death-penalty trial on Oct 13.
Gendron faces 27 federal hate-crime charges for the May 14, 2022 Buffalo massacre.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty because of his racist motive, victim impact and incitement intent.
The government listed three aggravating factors, including white-supremacist ideology, in its notice of intent.
Jurors will be questioned in groups of 70 to choose 12 jurors and six alternates.

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