男子因枪杀佛蒙特州三名巴勒斯坦裔学生被判谋杀未遂罪

Man convicted of attempted murder in shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont

2026-09-21 21:15:51 UTC / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

September 21, 2026 9:15 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

Jason J. Eaton, 48, a suspect who was arrested in the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, appears at his court arraignment from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton, Vermont, U.S. November 27, 2023. Vermont Judiciary/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Three Palestinian Americans were shot in late 2023 in Vermont
• One victim was left paralyzed from waist down after shooting
• Jury found Jason Eaton guilty on three counts of attempted murder

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – A man was convicted by a jury of attempted murder in the late 2023 shooting of three Palestinian ‌American students in Vermont, two of whom were wounded and one was left paralyzed from the waist down, prosecutors said on Monday.

Jason Eaton was found guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for the shootings of Hisham ​Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid on November 25, 2023, in Burlington, Vermont, prosecutor Sarah ​George, the Chittenden County state’s attorney, said in a statement.

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The conviction rejected Eaton’s insanity ⁠defense and he will be sentenced at a later time, George said. A jury trial commenced ​in the Chittenden Superior Court a week ago and lasted till Monday.

Eaton faces a sentence of up ​to life without parole, with a presumptive minimum term of 20 years to serve on each count, George said.

The three Palestinian American students, who grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were walking in Burlington when Eaton approached and ​shot them, prosecutors and police said.

Awartani was paralyzed from the chest down and now lives with paraplegia, ​his family said. Aliahmad was struck in the chest and Abdalhamid was struck in the glute while running away, ‌according ⁠to prosecutors. Aliahmad and Abdalhamid were visiting Awartani’s grandmother over a Thanksgiving break from school.

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All three were 20 at the time and wore black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves while conversing in a mix of English and Arabic when the gunman confronted them, prosecutors said. Their families said on Monday justice “has been rendered” and ​that they feel relief.

Though ​Eaton pleaded not guilty, ⁠he did not dispute being the shooter. His legal team said he should not be found guilty due to insanity, referring to his claims that ​US and Israeli intelligence ordered him to carry out the shooting through radio ​and that ⁠God asked him to protect Jewish neighbors.

US rights advocates have noted rising anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish bias since the start of US ally Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza following a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Some fatal incidents that have ⁠sparked ​alarm include a 2023 deadly stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian ​American child in Illinois whose killer was sentenced to 53 years in prison and died in custody, and a 2026 San Diego mosque shooting ​that left five dead, including two teenage suspects.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis

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