Jury Convicts Vermont Man of Attempted Murder for Shooting Arab Students

A jury has convicted Jason Eaton, 51, of attempted murder for shooting three Arab university students near the University of Vermont three years ago. The incident occurred in November 2023 when Eaton opened fire on Hisham Awartani, Thahseen Ali-Ahmed, and Kinnan Abdalhamid. Awartani was left paralyzed from the waist down, while the other two students sustained injuries.

Eaton was arrested shortly after the shooting and charged with attempted murder. During the trial, his defense attorneys argued that Eaton was not mentally sound, claiming he believed he was receiving instructions from government agencies, including the CIA and Israel's Mossad, via the radio to shoot someone. They also asserted that his mental state deteriorated after losing his job at a credit union weeks before the attack, leading to a psychotic episode.

Eaton's lawyer, Joshua O'Hara, stated in court that Eaton believed he was ordered to act by a government agency or God. Eaton himself did not deny firing the shots but maintained he heard instructions from the Mossad through the radio.

Testimony from the injured students and psychiatrists was presented during the trial to determine Eaton's mental state. Ultimately, the jury found him guilty of attempted murder. He now awaits sentencing, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment.