James Fields Jr., 22, received a second life sentence on July 15 for murdering 32-year-old Heather Heyer during the 2017 Charlottesville riots.
A federal court in Virginia sentenced to Fields to life in prison on June 28 for ramming his car into several people during the riots, killing Heyer and injuring dozens of others. The state court sentenced Fields to 419 years in prison and $480,000 in fines over his actions.
Fields’ attorneys argued that he has a history of mental illness and childhood trauma; federal and state prosecutors argued that Fields knowingly held malicious, white supremacist views. Federal prosecutors alleged that Fields was excited to see the Dachau concentration camp during a high school field trip and called Susan Bro, Heather Heyer’s mother, the “enemy.”
“While there is no true closure that this process is able to provide, we are hopeful that today’s sentence is the first step forward for some as they try and begin to heal,” Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney Joseph Platania told NPR.
