Jury to deliberate Virginia murder trial
of white nationalist
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[December 07, 2018]
By Gary Robertson
Charlottesville, Va., (Reuters) - A jury in
Charlottesville, Virginia, will begin deliberations on Friday in the
murder trial of a man who rammed his car into a crowd of
counter-protestors at a far right rally last year, killing one activist.
Hundreds of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis
gathered in Charlottesville in August 2017 to demonstrate against a plan
to remove a statue of a Confederate general. The night before the
car-ramming, they staged a torch-lit march, chanting racist and
anti-Semitic slogans.
During his two-week trial, prosecutors said James Fields, 21, was
motivated by hatred toward the counter-demonstrators, while the defense
argued that he was fearfully reacting to a violent situation after
supporters and counter demonstrators fought pitched battles using rocks
and pepper spray.
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Defense attorneys never disputed that Fields was behind the wheel of the
Dodge Charger that sent bodies flying when it crashed into a crowd on
Aug. 12, 2017, killing counterprotester Heather Heyer, 32 and injuring
19 others.
Instead, they suggested he was intimidated by a hostile crowd and acted
to protect himself.
U.S. President Donald Trump was strongly condemned from Democrats and
Republicans alike for saying afterward that "both sides" were to blame
for the violence.
Urging jurors to find Fields guilty of murder and nine other charges,
prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony said in closing arguments Thursday that
Fields had had no reason to be afraid but that he had come to the rally
from Ohio intending to harm others.
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![](../images/120718pics/news_a1.jpg)
Rescue workers assist people who were injured when a car drove
through a group of counter protesters at the "Unite the Right" rally
in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Justin
Ide/File Photo
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
But defense attorney Denise Lunsford countered that Fields' behavior
was defensive in nature, telling jurors: "James' actions were
impacted by everything else that was going on.”
Asking the jury to find her client not guilty of all charges,
Lunsford said when he was arrested, Fields told police, "I’m sorry I
didn’t want to hurt anyone. I thought they were attacking me."
Fields, who did not take the stand to defend himself, could face
life in prison if convicted of murder.
(Reporting by Gary Robertson in Charlottesville, Va.; Writing by
Peter Szekely and Steve Gorman, additional writing by Rich McKay;
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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