A jury on Monday convicted Jason Eaton, a 51-year-old man from Vermont, of attempted murder for the shooting of three Palestinian college students near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington in November 2023. The jury rejected Eaton's insanity defense, which was based on his claims that he was acting on orders from the CIA and Mossad. The attack left one student, Hisham Awartani, paralyzed from the waist down, while his friends, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid, were also wounded.
The jury deliberated for several hours after a weeklong trial that included testimony from the victims and psychiatric experts. Eaton faces a potential life sentence and has been ordered jailed pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. During the reading of the verdict, Eaton appeared blank, while Awartani and Aliahmad expressed relief and support for one another.
Eaton pleaded not guilty but acknowledged being the shooter. His defense argued for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, citing his belief that he received orders to shoot the men via FM radio from U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. Had he been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he could have been mandated to undergo mental health treatment.
The shooting occurred shortly after Thanksgiving and raised concerns about potential hate crimes, particularly in the context of rising tensions following the start of the Israel-Hamas war. However, no hate crime charges were filed. Eaton's defense claimed he was suffering from a delusional disorder after losing his job shortly before the incident.
Authorities recovered three shotguns and a Ruger .380-caliber handgun from Eaton's apartment, which was determined to be the weapon used in the shooting. The victims, now aged 23, recounted their experience during the trial, detailing their visit to Awartani's grandmother's house and their walk near the university campus when Eaton approached and opened fire.
Awartani, who was studying at Brown University at the time, described the moments leading up to the shooting, stating that Eaton approached them without saying anything before he began shooting. Eyewitness Jacob Pyne testified that he heard gunshots and rushed outside to assist the victims.
Awartani was shot in the chest, resulting in paraplegia, while Aliahmad was struck in the collarbone and Abdalhamid in the right buttock. The case has drawn attention to issues of violence against Arab Americans and the broader implications of the incident.