A jury on Monday convicted a Vermont man of attempted murder in the November 2023 shootings of three Palestinian college students, rejecting an insanity defense. Jason Eaton, 51, faces up to life in prison for the attack near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, which left Hisham Awartani paralyzed and his friends, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid, wounded.
Eaton had pleaded not guilty but did not dispute that he was the shooter. His lawyers argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, citing his claims that U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies transmitted orders to him via FM radio, and that God was commanding him to protect his Jewish neighbors. Had he been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he could have been ordered to undergo mental health treatment.
The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching its verdict after a weeklong trial. The prosecution presented evidence that authorities found three shotguns and a handgun in Eaton's apartment, and that crime lab testing concluded the handgun was used in the shooting. Eaton had purchased the gun seven months prior to the incident.
The shooting, which occurred a few days after Thanksgiving, shook Burlington and drew attention in the West Bank, where the three wounded men grew up. The incident, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, led to calls for a hate crime investigation, though no such charges were filed. Questions had persisted about whether anti-Palestinian animus, an altered mental state, or another factor motivated Eaton.
Eaton's defense attorneys argued he was suffering from a delusional, psychotic disorder after losing his job at a credit union two weeks before the attack. They stated that Eaton believed he was receiving messages from the CIA through a local NPR affiliate, which initially were encouraging but later became dark, commanding him to shoot someone.
Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid, all 23, testified about their actions leading up to the shooting. They were on a walk near the University of Vermont campus after dusk when Eaton approached them. Awartani stated that Eaton pulled out a handgun and began shooting without speaking. Awartani was shot in the chest and sustained paralysis from the waist down. Aliahmad was struck in the collarbone, and Abdalhamid was shot in the right buttock. Another resident of the apartment building testified to hearing gunshots and then finding two of the victims wounded.
Eaton stared ahead blankly as the verdict was read. Awartani and Aliahmad, present in the courtroom, reacted with smiles and hugs. Eaton was ordered jailed pending a sentencing date, which has not yet been scheduled.