The man convicted on state charges of murdering 10 Black shoppers at the Tops grocery store on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo three years ago, once again, has a new start date for a federal trial. It marks another delay in the federal legal proceedings.
Payton Gendron, now 21, is serving a life sentence in state prison for hate-motivated murder and domestic terrorism. But an elongated decision by prosecutors to seek the death penalty, and more recent motions by the defense team for attorney changes and constitutional challenges means Gendron won’t stand trial until August 17, 2026.
Previously the trial was set to begin January 5, 2026.
That would make it more than four years after Gendron walked into the grocery store on Buffalo’s East Side and targeted Black customers with his assault rifle. Ten people were killed, and three others were wounded.
Authorities say Gendron was radicalized on the internet by white supremacist conspiracy theories and chat rooms.
If convicted on federal hate crime and weapons charges, Gendron could receive the death penalty.
