CPJ welcomes jury ruling in US Capital Gazette murders

Washington, D.C., July 15, 2021—In response to news that a jury in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, today ruled that the man who killed four Capital Gazette journalists and a media worker in 2018 is criminally responsible for his actions, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

“While today’s ruling can bring only limited solace to the families and colleagues of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Wendi Winters, and Rebecca Smith, the jury has ensured that the perpetrator of a shocking massacre in a U.S. newsroom will not get away with his heinous crime,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney. “The murders of journalists must never go unpunished lest other would-be attackers become emboldened.”