Loay Alnaji, a demonstrator involved in anti-Israel protests, has been sentenced to one year in county jail for the manslaughter of Paul Kessler. The incident occurred in 2023 during a protest. Ventura County prosecutors had argued that a state prison sentence was warranted for Alnaji.
Alnaji was convicted of the felony charge of manslaughter in November. The prosecution asserted that Alnaji struck Kessler, an attendee at a pro-Palestinian rally, causing his death. Defense attorneys had sought a lesser charge, arguing that Alnaji did not intend to kill Kessler and that the act was not premeditated.
Kessler, 69, died after an altercation at a rally in Thousand Oaks, California. He was pro-Israel and reportedly confronted pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including Alnaji. During the confrontation, Kessler fell and sustained a fatal head injury. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Kessler’s death a homicide. The exact circumstances leading to the fatal fall remain a point of contention, with Alnaji's defense suggesting it was accidental and the prosecution emphasizing Alnaji's role in the physical altercation that preceded the fall.