Trial Underway in Shooting of Three Palestinian Students
Trial Underway in Shooting of Three Palestinian Students
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Key Points
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Prosecutors say Eaton confronted the three men without speaking and fired at least four rounds as they walked on North Prospect Street; two were wearing keffiyehs and the group was speaking a mixture of English and Arabic. Court records say Awartani was shot in the spine, Abdalhamid in the glute and Ali Ahmad in the upper chest.
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The three victims were childhood friends and former schoolmates in Ramallah who had moved to the United States for college; they were visiting Awartani’s uncle in Burlington during the Thanksgiving holiday when the shooting occurred.
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Defense attorney Joshua O’Hara told jurors that Eaton’s alleged psychosis emerged after he lost his credit-union job two weeks before the shooting. O’Hara said Eaton initially interpreted messages he heard while listening to a local NPR affiliate as encouraging, before believing they became threatening and told him he “has to go out and shoot somebody.”
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The shooting prompted calls for a hate-crime investigation, but prosecutors did not file hate-crime charges because questions remained about whether anti-Palestinian animus, Eaton’s altered mental state or another motive led to the attack.
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According to police records, officers canvassing Eaton’s apartment building knocked on his door after the shooting, and Eaton answered with a statement to the effect of, “I’ve been waiting for you.” He has been held in prison since the 2023 shooting, and the trial is scheduled to run from Sept. 14 through Sept. 21.
Jason Eaton's trial opened this week in Burlington, Vermont, nearly three years after he shot three Palestinian American college students during a November 2023 walk. NBC Boston reports Eaton, 51, does not dispute firing the shots but pleads not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder, claiming he was experiencing a delusional psychotic disorder. One victim, Hisham Awartani, was left paralyzed from the waist down.
The case hinges on whether Eaton will be convicted and face life in prison, or found not guilty by reason of insanity and ordered into psychiatric care. Valley News reports Eaton's defense team says he believed radio transmissions from the CIA and Mossad instructed him to shoot, while prosecutors dispute that account and are presenting evidence including his gun purchase, apartment findings and cellphone data placing him at the crime scene.
Three Friends Shot While Walking Near UVM
Sentinel Colorado reports the three victims—Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad—were childhood friends and former schoolmates from Ramallah who had moved to the United States for college. They were visiting Awartani's uncle in Burlington during Thanksgiving when Eaton confronted them without speaking and fired at least four rounds. Two were wearing keffiyehs and the group spoke a mixture of English and Arabic.
Court records show Awartani was shot in the spine, Abdalhamid in the glute and Ali Ahmad in the upper chest, Valley News reports. All three survived the attack, though Awartani's injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. The shooting sparked immediate calls for a hate-crime investigation, but prosecutors did not file such charges due to questions about Eaton's motive.
Mental Illness Emerged After Job Loss, Defense Claims
Valley News reports Eaton's attorney Joshua O'Hara told jurors that a psychotic disorder emerged after Eaton lost his credit-union job just two weeks before the shooting. O'Hara said Eaton initially heard messages while listening to a local NPR affiliate that he interpreted as encouraging. The messages later became threatening, O'Hara argued, and Eaton believed they instructed him to "go out and shoot somebody."
Sentinel Colorado reports Eaton claimed the CIA and Mossad were transmitting orders to him. Prosecutors are challenging this account and presenting evidence of premeditation, including Eaton's gun purchase before the shooting and cellphone data placing him at North Prospect Street where the attack occurred.
Eaton's Arrest and Immediate Cooperation with Police
According to police records, officers knocked on Eaton's apartment door during a canvass after the shooting. Local News Live reports Eaton answered with a statement to the effect of, "I've been waiting for you." He has been held in prison since the November 2023 shooting and did not resist arrest at the time.
NBC Boston reports the trial is scheduled to run from September 14 through September 21. If convicted on all three counts of attempted second-degree murder, Eaton faces up to life in prison. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would be ordered into psychiatric treatment rather than prison.
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