Vermont Jury Finds Man Guilty in Shooting of Palestinian Students

A jury in Burlington, Vermont, found 51-year-old Jason Eaton guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting three Palestinian students in November 2023. The jury rejected the defense's argument that Eaton was insane at the time of the attack. He faces a potential life sentence, with sentencing date yet to be set.

On November 25, 2023, Eaton opened fire on Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, and Kinnan Abd al-Hamid as they walked near his home and the University of Vermont campus. The students were visiting Burlington for Thanksgiving at Awartani's grandmother's home, speaking in English and Arabic, and two were wearing keffiyehs. Awartani was severely wounded and left paralyzed from the waist down, while his two friends also sustained injuries.

Eaton did not deny being the shooter. His defense attorneys claimed he had a psychotic episode shortly before the attack, stating he received messages from the CIA and Israel's Mossad via FM radio and believed God ordered him to protect nearby Jews. A defense expert concluded Eaton was in a psychotic state and unaware of his actions' illegality. However, a prosecution expert disagreed, finding Eaton had mental health issues but not a psychotic disorder that would render him legally insane.

The prosecution highlighted Eaton's behavior after the shooting, noting his nervousness and demand for a lawyer upon police arrival. He did not disclose the .380 caliber Ruger pistol, later found in his apartment and identified as the weapon used. Hate crime charges were not filed, as prosecutors stated they lacked sufficient evidence of such a motive. However, statements made by Eaton after the attack regarding Palestinians were presented, including his comment to lawyers that the students' grandmother might have warned him they would be in the area "dressed like terrorists," referring to their keffiyehs. Awartani's mother, Elizabeth Price, stated after the verdict that these words indicated why Eaton chose these specific young men as targets.