RICHARD SCOTT BAUMHAMMERS | American Immigration Attorney And Spree Killer Who Began A Racially Motivated Crime Spree On April 28, 2000 In Pittsburgh, PA Which Left Five Dead And One Paralyzed | Sentenced to Death | TLS

Richard Baumhammers. Typed Letter, Signed. Commercial #10 (4.125 × 9.5) envelope. Pittsburgh, PA. January 5, 2016. Content unknown. SEALED.

• Classification: Spree killer

• Characteristics: Racially motivated crime spree

• Number of victims: 5

• Date of murders: April 29, 2000

• Date of arrest: Same day

• Date of birth: May 17, 1965 | age 58

• Victims profile: Anita "Nicki" Gordon, 63 / Theo Pham, 27 / Ji-ye Sun, 34 / Anil Thakur, 31 / Garry Lee, 22

• Method of murder: Shooting (.357 Magnum revolver)

• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• Status: Sentenced to 5 death sentences, plus 112 years, on May 11, 2001

Friday, April 28, 2000

At 1:30 p.m. EST, Richard Baumhammers (hereinafter referred to as “Rick”) walked to the home of his next-door neighbor, a 63 year old Jewish woman named Nicki Gordon and fatally shot her, then set her house on fire. Gordon had been friends with Rick' parents for 31 years.

Afterwards, Rick jumped into his black Jeep Cherokee and drove to the Beth El Congregation in Scott Township, where Gordon was a member of the synagogue. There, he fired into the windows of the synagogue, then exited his vehicle and spray-painted two red swastikas on the building.

A short distance from the synagogue at the India Grocer in Scott Town Center, 31 year old Anil Thakur, formerly of Bihar, India was shot to death while picking up groceries on his lunch hour. A 25 year old store manager named Sandeep Patel, was shot in the neck and paralyzed. Patel would be wheelchair-bound for the next seven years before dying at the age of 32 in February, 2007 from complications due to pneumonia at UPMC, in McCandless, Pennsylvania.

Rick next drove to the Ahavath Achim Congregation in Carnegie where he shattered the synagogue's glass windows with gunfire. At Robinson Towne Center, about ten miles from his home, he walked into Ya Fei Chinese Cuisine where two Asian-Americans, Chinese restaurant manager Ji-ye Sun, aged 34 and Theo "Tony" Pham, a 27 year-old Vietnamese-American cook were fatally shot in front of customers.

From Robinson Town Center, Rick drove to the C.S. Kim School of Karate in Center Township, Beaver County where Garry Lee, a 22 year old African-American was exercising with a European-American friend, George Thomas II. Rick initially pointed the gun at Thomas, then turned and fired at Lee, killing him instantly.

Arrest and trial

Rick was pulled over in his Jeep and arrested at 3:30 p.m. EST in the town of Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Rick' spree lasted two hours and ran a 15-mile trail that crossed three townships.

Rick was charged with 19 crimes which included eight counts of ethnic intimidation, two counts of arson, two counts of criminal mischief, one count of arson, one count of reckless endangerment of another person, one count of violation of uniform firearms act, two counts of institution vandalism, one count of aggravated assault and one criminal attempt and five criminal homicides.

When Pittsburgh police officers searched Rick' Mt. Lebanon home they found a document for the "Free Market Party", written by Rick, which read like a manifesto and listed him as the "Chairman". The document purportedly champions the rights of European Americans and complains that they are being outnumbered by minorities and immigrants.

Rick had also created an internet website on which he called for "an end to non-white immigration" and stated that "almost all" present day immigration "is non-European."

On May 19, 2000, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Lawrence J. O'Toole ruled that Rick was unfit to stand trial and ordered Rick undergo at least 90 days of psychiatric treatment.

O'Toole made his decision after three psychiatrists examined Rick; each coming to the conclusion that Rick was psychologically unstable; and each proffering a different diagnosis. One testifying that Rick was a paranoid schizophrenic, another testifying that Rick suffered from psychotic thought disorder, and the last testifying that he suffered from a delusional disorder.

On May 01, 2000, Rick was arraigned on charges of homicide, arson and hate crimes. His bond was set at $1 million dollars.ⁱ

Nearly a year later, on May 9, 2001, a jury found Rick guilty on all nineteen charges. Two days later, on May 11, 2001, after deliberating for 20 minutes, the same jury requested that Rick be executed for his crimes. Rick was scheduled to die by lethal injection. He is currently incarcerated at Greene State Correctional Institute in Franklin Township, Pennsylvania, awaiting judicial appeal dates.

On January 19, 2010, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed an execution warrant for Rick. He was scheduled to be put to death on March 18, 2010. On February 28, 2010, Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning granted Rick an indefinite stay of execution.

On November 26, 2019, Rick lost an appeal of his conviction and death sentence.ⁱⁱ

• VIDEO: Execution Stayed For Man Who Killed 5 In Racist Shooting Spree | https://youtu.be/xE_P_HMGRxo (Posted 13ya)

• VIDEO: Expert: 'Mistaken' In Quotes On Richard Baumhammers | https://youtu.be/_J6Kz5iqq4E

• VIDEO: Ethnically Motivated Pittsburgh Spree Killer Richard Baumhammers Erupts | https://youtu.be/6MUFQkgbVoU

• VIDEO: Richard Baumhammers Death Sentence (5-11-01) KDKA News Special Report | https://youtu.be/KsDnOfPEIDw

Archiving Protocol:

• Handled with White Gloves ab initio

• Photo Pages/Sheet Protectors: Heavyweight Clear Sheet Protectors, Acid Free & Archival Safe, 8.5 × 11, Top Load

• White Backing Board—Acid Free

Shipping/Packaging: Rigid Mailer 9.5 × 12.5. White, self seal, stay flat, kraft cardboard, no bend. Each rigid mailer is made of heavy cardboard, which has strong resistance to bending and tearing. Thicker that the USPS mailers. Shipping cost never more than it absolutely has to be to get it from me to you.