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A jury on Tuesday recommended that a protester, who had killed a woman, spent the rest of his life in jail during the White Nationalists demonstration last year at the Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally ( Virginia).
A few days after the jury declared the man, James Fields Jr., 21, of the first degree murder of the attack, which had also injured nearly 40 other people. Mr. Fields was also convicted of nine other charges, including serious and malicious injuries and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, for which the jury recommended a penalty of $ 10,000. imprisonment for several more years.
Tuesday's jury action is not final. verdict. Under Virginia law, this is a recommendation to the judge, who will decide the sentence.
Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard E. Moore will sentence Fields at the end of March, court spokesman Brian Wheeler said. city. He may order a lower sentence than that proposed by the jury, but not stronger.
In August 2017, Mr. Fields left Ohio to go to the Unite the Right rally, where white supremacists invaded the streets and clashed. with counter-partners. In an attack that claimed the life of a 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, Mr. Fields hurtled down a narrow street full of counter-protestors, many of whom were on their way home after the authorities arrived. closed the event.
The jury's recommendation regarding full sentence provided for life imprisonment for murder in the first degree, as well as 419 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for the less serious charges. Fields is facing a second trial of hate crimes charges by the federal government, which could result in the death penalty.
"In the end, the hands of the courts say that he must be away from society for a while, and I'm not sure. I'm happy about that, "Susan Bro, Ms. Heyer's mother, told reporters at a press conference held in court Tuesday.
At the conference, Commonwealth attorney Joseph D. Platania praised the jury's decision, thus calling it "Real Act of Public Service". During the trial, prosecutors had argued that Mr. Fields had gone to the rally with the intent to harm, citing a drawing he had shared on Instagram several months before the protests, showing a car hit in the crowd. .
A video footage of the episode shows that Mr. Fields' Dodge Challenger is idling and then reversing before joining the pedestrian group.
Mr. Fields' lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. In court, the defenders claimed that Mr. Fields did not go to Charlottesville with intent to harm and said he had "acted out of fear."
The organizers chose Charlottesville as the "A Reproach" gathering site. to the proposed suppression of the monuments to the Confederate generals of the city. The protests began on the campus of the University of Virginia with a march of hundreds of torchbearing protesters, many shouting phrases such as "You will not replace us" and "The Jews will not replace us".
This first demonstration prompted hundreds of counter-partners to converge the next day, creating tense clashes with white nationalist protesters who culminated at the end of the day with Mr. Fields' deadly attack.
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