A jury in Vermont has convicted Jason Eaton, 51, of attempted murder for shooting three Palestinian college students in November 2023. The jury rejected Eaton's defense of not guilty by reason of insanity, which claimed he was suffering from a delusional psychotic disorder. The shooting occurred near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, resulting in serious injuries to the victims, including paralysis for one of them, Hisham Awartani.
The jury deliberated for several hours on Monday after a week-long trial that featured testimonies 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 trial, Eaton's defense argued that he believed he was acting under the command of God and that intelligence agencies were communicating with him. However, prosecutors presented evidence from a state psychiatrist who concluded that Eaton did not have a mental disease and intended to kill the victims.
Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid, now 23, had moved to the US from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank for their studies. They were visiting Awartani's grandmother during the Thanksgiving holiday when the shooting occurred. Awartani testified that they were approached by Eaton, who began shooting without warning. The shooting led to calls for a hate crime investigation, but no charges were filed. Police later discovered three shotguns and a handgun in Eaton's apartment, which was identified as the weapon used in the attack.