A Vermont jury on Monday convicted Jason Eaton, 51, of attempted murder in the November 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students near his home in Burlington. The verdict followed a weeklong trial in which the jury rejected Eaton’s insanity defense, which claimed he was acting on orders from U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies.
Eaton now faces up to life in prison after the jury deliberated for several hours before reaching its decision. The three students—Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid—were wounded in the attack, which occurred as they walked near the University of Vermont campus. Awartani was paralyzed from the waist down.
Core Facts of the Case
- Who acted: Jason Eaton, 51, was convicted of attempted murder.
- What changed: The jury rejected Eaton’s insanity defense, which alleged he was following orders from intelligence agencies and divine commands.
Trial Details and Defense Claims
Eaton pleaded not guilty but did not dispute that he was the shooter. His defense team argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, citing claims that he received orders via FM radio from U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies and that God commanded him to protect his Jewish neighbors. Prosecution and defense psychiatric experts presented differing assessments of Eaton’s mental state and criminal responsibility during the trial.
The three wounded students testified about the attack, describing how their evening walk ended in bloodshed. Two of the men were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, at the time of the shooting. The attack occurred days after Thanksgiving in 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which sparked calls for a hate crime investigation. No hate crime charges were filed, as authorities did not confirm anti-Palestinian animus as a motive.
Aftermath and Sentencing
Eaton was jailed pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. During the verdict reading, Eaton stared ahead blankly while Awartani and Aliahmad, seated in the courtroom gallery, smiled and embraced those around them. Eaton had previously attempted to fire his public defenders, alleging his defense had not been adequately presented, but the judge blocked the move.
The shooting drew international attention, particularly in the West Bank, where the three students grew up and attended school together in Ramallah before moving to the U.S. for college. The case has raised broader questions about mental health, motive, and the legal standards for insanity defenses in violent crimes.