THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. — Loay Alnaji was sentenced on July 1, 2026, to one year in county jail and two years of probation following his May 5 guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter, battery causing serious bodily injury, and a special allegation of causing great bodily injury.

The charges stemmed from a November 5, 2023, confrontation in Thousand Oaks, California, between Alnaji, then 53, and Paul Kessler, then 69. Alnaji was part of a pro-Palestinian group protesting the Israel-Hamas war, while Kessler was demonstrating in support of Israel. Kessler died on November 6, 2023, after falling and hitting his head. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office stated that Alnaji escalated a verbal altercation into a physical confrontation and struck Kessler in the head with a megaphone. Alnaji's attorney, Ron Bamieh, stated that Alnaji moved to swat Kessler's phone away from his face and unintentionally hit Kessler with the megaphone. After Kessler fell, Alnaji called 911 and remained at the scene.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said, "Mr. Kessler lost his life in a violent attack that took him from his family and his wife of 43 years." The District Attorney's Office had argued for a state prison sentence and objected to the imposed sentence of one year in county jail and two years of probation. Nasarenko added, "Given the circumstances of this case and the death that resulted, we believe a state prison commitment was the appropriate and just sentence."

Kessler's widow conveyed her pain, saying, "There are no words to describe the pain of losing a husband in such a sudden and violent way," and added, "The grief is relentless."

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan, who stated that the charges filed did not allege an intentional killing or a hate crime, justified the sentence by saying, "The rules do support a grant of probation in this case."