Home / Crime and Justice / Jury Finds Man Guilty of Attempted Murder in Student Shootings
Jury Finds Man Guilty of Attempted Murder in Student Shootings
21 Sep
Summary
- Vermont man convicted of attempted murder in November 2023 shooting.
- The attack left one student paralyzed and two others wounded.
- The jury rejected an insanity defense citing delusions about intelligence agencies.
A Vermont jury has convicted Jason Eaton, 51, of attempted murder for the November 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students near the University of Vermont. The verdict was delivered after a weeklong trial where the victims testified and psychiatric experts presented their findings.
The attack left Hisham Awartani paralyzed from the waist down, while his friends Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid sustained other injuries. Eaton, who did not dispute being the shooter, had pleaded not guilty, but his defense team argued for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Eaton's lawyers claimed he was acting on delusions, believing he was receiving orders from the CIA and Mossad via FM radio to protect his neighbors. They also cited a recent job loss and a psychotic disorder as contributing factors.
Despite the defense's arguments, the jury deliberated for several hours before reaching its guilty verdict. Eaton faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing yet to be scheduled. The shooting had sent shockwaves through Burlington and reverberated in the students' home region of the West Bank.
