Update 06/28/2019 5:03pm:
James Alex Fields Jr., the neo-Nazi driver who plowed through a crowd of counter-protesters at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017, killing one person, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday (June 28).
This comes after Fields pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 hate crime charges in March in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty for killing civil rights activist Heather Heyer. Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, reacted to the news on Friday at the sentencing, telling reporters that she hopes Fields spends the rest of his life in prison but hopes that he "can heal someday and help others heal."
Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said in a statement, "Anyone who commits a crime motivated by hatred for the race, color, religion, national origin or other protected trait of any person should be on notice: the United States government will use its enormous power to bring perpetrators to justice, and we will continue to do so for as long as it takes to rid our nation of these vile and monstrous crimes."
In addition to these charges, Fields is also convicted of state charges that include first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of malicious wounding, and one hit and run count for injuring dozens of others with his vehicle. A jury has recommended life plus 419 years for those charges, which he will be sentenced for on July 15.
Source: NBC News
Update 12/07/2018:
According to reports, avowed neo-Nazi James Fields Jr. has been convicted of first-degree murder for ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters and killing one at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA. It took the jury, comprised of seven women and five men, seven hours to reach a verdict. The now 21-year-old Fields remained stoic during the six-day trial that featured testimonies from the survivors of the crash. Fields injured a total of 35 counter-protesters and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
Reports coming from the trial note that some of Fields's school teachers remember him being peculiarly fascinated with Nazism and Adolf Hitler. Prior to attending the rally in Charlottesville, a text message sent from Fields to his mother included a picture of Hitler. His mother replied by telling him to be careful to which Fields shot back, "we're not the one (sic) who need to be careful."
The jury is scheduled to convene Monday to determine Fields's sentence which carries a recommended sentence of 20 years to life. What's more, Fields is due back in court to stand trial over a federal hate crime charge which could result in the death penalty if convicted. No trial date has been determined.
Original 08/19/2017:
The white supremacist terrorist, James Fields Jr. (20), who rammed his car into counter-protesters during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA has just been slapped with additional felony charges on Friday. Already facing murder charges, Fields has been charged with three new counts of aggravated malicious wounding and two counts of malicious wounding. These charges come in the wake of victims suffering serious injuries with some suffering permanent physical disabilities.
Fields' next court date will be Aug. 25.
