Guilty Verdict in Pa. Shooting Spree

P I T T S B U R G H, May 9, 2001 -- A jury convicted a man today of killingfive people in a shooting spree last year in which he calmly drovethrough the suburbs looking for nonwhite victims.

Richard Baumhammers, a 35-year-old non-practicing immigrationattorney, was also convicted of eight counts of ethnic intimidationin the April 28, 2000, rampage that left a sixth victim paralyzed.

Baumhammers stood and displayed no emotion as a juror read theverdict in Allegheny County Court.

Baumhammers, who is white, killed his Jewish neighbor, two Asianmen, an Indian man and a black man as he fanned northwest in hisblack Jeep from his suburban Pittsburgh home. Another man of Indiandescent was critically wounded.

Baumhammers started reading racist and anti-immigrationliterature in 1999 and saw himself becoming as well-known asUnabomber Theodore Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeighand Adolf Hitler, prosecutor Edward Borkowski said in closingarguments earlier today.

During the trial, defense attorney William Difenderfer did notdeny that Baumhammers shot the victims, but told jurors that hisclient struggled with delusions for 10 years — most of his adultlife.

Psychiatrists testified that Baumhammers was tormented by thebelief that the FBI and CIA were on his tail, that the family maidwas a spy and that his skin was peeling off.

Difenderfer declined to comment to reporters after the verdict,saying he was not sure a gag order had been lifted now that he hadleft the case. Another attorney will handle the sentencing hearing.

Jurors will return at 9:30 a.m. Thursday to start hearingtestimony on whether Baumhammers should get the death penalty thatprosecutors are seeking.