Earnest, an accomplished student and pianist, has pleaded not guilty to a 113-count federal indictment and faces charges of murder and attempted murder in state court, both of which may make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Earnest also pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges of trying to burn a mosque in the nearby city of Escondido. Those charges include attempted arson at a mosque in nearby Escondido a month earlier.
A federal affidavit describes a deeply disturbed man filled with hatred toward Jews and Muslims, which is detailed in online writings. Earnest claimed to be inspired by the attacks on the mosques in New Zealand and a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last fall.
Court documents said Earnest dialed 911 after fleeing the house of worship in his car and said: "I just shot up a synagogue." He went on to tell the dispatcher that he did it "because Jewish people are destroying the white race," according to the affidavit. He was arrested without a struggle.