BURLINGTON, VT. — A Burlington, Vermont jury convicted Jason Eaton of three counts of attempted second-degree murder for the 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students. The panel rejected his defense that he acted on CIA and Mossad commands received via FM radio.

Eaton, 51, faces up to life in prison for the attack. He was ordered jailed pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Awartani said Eaton pulled out a handgun and started shooting when he was about five to 10 feet away.

Jacob Pyne testified that he heard four to six gunshots and then footsteps going up the stairs. Pyne testified that he heard a man yelling, 'I’ve been shot, help me.' Pyne testified that he brought the men blankets and called 911.

Abdalhamid testified that he fled and hid behind another home after seeing Aliahmad fall. Abdalhamid testified that he only realized he had been wounded when he sat down later.

Awartani was shot in the chest, and the bullet ricocheted off his scapula, causing paraplegia. Aliahmad was struck in the collarbone. Abdalhamid was shot in the right buttock.

Two of the victims said they were wearing keffiyehs at the time of the shooting. The victims were 20 years old at the time of the shooting. Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid are now 23 years old.

Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid grew up in Ramallah in the West Bank and attended school together before moving to the U.S. for college. Awartani was a student at Brown University at the time of the shooting. Abdalhamid was a student at Haverford College at the time of the shooting.

Eaton pleaded not guilty but did not dispute that he was the shooter. Defense lawyers argued Eaton believed God was commanding him to protect his Jewish neighbors. Defense lawyer Joshua O'Hara stated that Eaton believed he was hearing messages from the CIA while listening to a local NPR affiliate. The jury rejected an insanity defense that claimed Eaton was acting on orders from the CIA and Mossad transmitted via FM radio.

Eaton lost his job at a credit union two weeks before the shooting. Eaton purchased the handgun seven months before the shooting from a Vermont gun store. Authorities found three shotguns and a Ruger.380-caliber handgun in Eaton’s apartment. Crime lab testing concluded the Ruger.380-caliber handgun was the gun used in the shooting.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching the verdict. No hate crime charges were filed in the case.

Why It Matters

The conviction resolves a high-profile case involving violence against Palestinian students in the United States. The rejection of the insanity defense reflects the jury's acceptance of the prosecution's argument that the shooting was intentional rather than the result of delusional commands.

The case drew attention due to the severity of the injuries, including permanent paralysis for one victim, and the unusual nature of the defense claims involving intelligence agencies. The absence of hate crime charges means the convictions rest solely on the attempted murder statutes.

Timeline

On November 25, 2023, the shooting occurred near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington. On that date, Awartani said Eaton pulled out a handgun and started shooting when he was about five to 10 feet away. Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid were wounded in the shooting on November 25, 2023.

Hisham Awartani was paralyzed from the waist down in the shooting on November 25, 2023. The victims were 20 years old at the time of the shooting on November 25, 2023. Abdalhamid was a student at Haverford College at the time of the shooting on November 25, 2023. Jacob Pyne testified that he heard four to six gunshots and then footsteps going up the stairs on November 25, 2023.

What's New

Later reporting confirmed that a jury in Burlington, Vermont, convicted Jason Eaton of three counts of attempted second-degree murder in the 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students, rejecting his claim that the CIA and Mossad sent him commands via FM radio. Additional details emerged that Chittenden County State's Attorney George said during her closing statement that Jason Eaton, the state submits, intentionally shot three people who were simply walking down the street. It was also reported that the prosecution closed its case Tuesday, presenting forensic evidence they say ties Eaton to the shootings, including a handgun seized from his apartment that matched casings recovered from the scene. Hisham Awartani is a Palestinian consultant.