Photo from Pixabay. James Fields Jr., 22, was sentenced to life in prison on June 28 for murdering a woman during the 2017 Charlottesville riots.
Fields had plead guilty to 29 of the 30 federal hate crime charges levied against him, which included the murder of 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring more than 30 others when he drove his vehicle into Charlottesville counterprotesters. Fields was among those participating in the “Unite the Rally” of white supremacists protesting against the removal of confederate statues.
The final charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement so Fields wouldn’t get the death penalty.
Fields’ lawyers had asked for a lesser sentence, arguing that Fields’ age and history of bipolar disorder and schizoid personality disorder should be taken into consideration; before his sentencing, Fields apologized for his actions.
Prosecutors argued that Fields deserved nothing less than a life sentence because he has a long history of anti-Semitism, pointing to testimony from a high school classmate saying that Fields was “elated and happy” during a field trip to the Dachau concentration camp, where Fields allegedly said, “This is where the magic happens.”
Additionally, prosecutors argued that Fields has shown “no remorse for his actions and continues to espouse his hateful ideology,” citing a phone call between Fields and his mother four months after the Charlottesville riots where Fields allegedly told his mother that Susan Bro, Heyer’s mother, was the “enemy” because she’s an “an anti-white liberal.”
Fields will be sentenced in state court on July 15.
The ADL tweeted, “We welcome sentencing of the white supremacist convicted of a hate crime for murdering #HeatherHeyer in #Charlotesville. Every state should have a hate crime law — and every state/city should count and report hate crimes to the @FBI.”
We welcome sentencing of the white supremacist convicted of a hate crime for murdering #HeatherHeyer in #Charlotesville. Every state should have a hate crime law — and every state/city should count and report hate crimes to the @FBI. #FightHateForGood https://t.co/hCyMPN4Qsg
— ADL (@ADL) June 28, 2019
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.