Trial Date Set for Santa Monica Synagogue Bombing Suspect

A trial date for Ron Hirsch, the man  to the April  at a Santa Monica synagogue and who was arrested in Cleveland Heights, has been set for June 28. 

Hirsch pleaded not guilty to four federal felony counts in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Monday. He reportedly appeared uncertain of the arraignment proceedings when he was in court.

"You can sit on your hands during the trial, and if the government hasn't proven its case, you win," U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Walsh told him, explaining Hirsch's right to defend himself.

When Hirsch, 60, was asked if he understood what Walsh had said, he replied, "I do, your honor.''

Hirsch added that the attorney he had anticipated would be in court to defend him was absent. His legal representation, along with the trial schedule, were to be discussed at an afternoon courthouse hearing.

The four federal charges could put Hirsch behind bars for up to 70 years. He would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 45 years in federal prison, if he is convicted as charged.

Beyond the federal charges, Hirsch also faces four felony counts that were brought against him in April by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office: explosion with intent to murder; use of a destructive device and explosive to injure or destroy; possession of a destructive device near a public place; and possession of a destructive device near a residence.

The state charges carry a potential life term in prison.

Hirsch, who is in federal custody, was previously named by a Los Angeles federal grand jury in the four-count indictment.

Last month, , Hirsch to have hearings in Cleveland and opted to have them moved to the U.S. District Court Central District of California, where a criminal complaint had been filed against him. 

Investigators found a receipt dated April 1 for three 11-pound bags of demolition material with Hirsch's name and shipping information on it after the April 7 explosion at Chabad House Lubavitch, according to the affidavit. They also discovered a box containing demolition material that had a label with his address on it. The bombing at the Santa Monica synagogue was caused by an approximately 250-pound pipe bomb. No one was injured in the incident, and the motive behind it is still unclear. 

Hirsch had bought a New York-bound Greyhound bus ticket shortly after the incident and was supposed to arrive on April 10, but instead he went to the Kollel Torah L.I.F.E. building on South Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights, across from the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. 

Hirsch appeared to be an ," said Cleveland Heights resident Jerry Elliot, who said the suspect stayed in a  on April 10 and returned to the Orthodox Jewish study center the next day.

Elliot said he thought Hirsch was studying, like everyone else in the room, but thought it was odd that he wore "beach clothes" and not the traditional black suit.

A rabbi about a block away called after seeing the news article about Hirsch, and told police where Hirsch was, according to the affidavit. The Cleveland Heights Police responded, and the department and the FBI arrested him around 7 p.m. April 11.

“He’s anxious to get back to California and defend these charges against him,” said Daniel Chaplin, a private attorney who represented Hirsch in Ohio, after the hearing ended.

He did not say why Hirsch ended up in Cleveland Heights.

“He asserts his innocence,” Chaplin said.

Hirsch waived his right to an identity hearing and confirmed his name was Ron Hirsch. He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing and detention hearing in Cleveland, as was his option because the charges came from another district.

City News Service in Los Angeles contributed to this report.