VA - Car plows through counter-protest marchers at Klan/White Nationalist Rally, Aug 2017 *Guilty*

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The Latest: Charlottesville hopes verdict will help healing

"...Charlottesville City Councilor Wes Bellamy says he hopes the guilty verdict in the trial of a man who drove his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally will allow the city to move forward....

Bellamy said Friday that the psychological damage caused by the event cannot be undone, nor can the fact that Heyer was killed. But he said that the justice system has shown that it can do the right thing...."

The Latest: Charlottesville hopes verdict will help healing
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 17h17 hours ago
JUST IN: @HenryGraff reports: Charlottesville Circuit Court set to open at 10:30 am Monday. The expectation is to start the penalty phase of the James Fields, Jr. trial at 11 am.


molly ‏ @socialistdogmom 4m4 minutes ago
we’re on a bit of a delay this morning with the snow, but victim impact statements should be starting at 11am. the jury will hear from several victims, then the defense’s mitigation witnesses, before deliberating again on sentencing recommendations.
 
molly ‏ @socialistdogmom
a very brief audio recap about the verdict & what's next is up now, just a few minutes. i'll be back in the courtroom on monday for victim impact statements. those are sure to be incredibly moving.

The Trial of James Alex Fields - Episode 8: December 7



NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 7m7 minutes ago
In just a few minutes, the sentencing hearing for James Fields Jr. is expected to begin with people giving victim impact statements. Fields faces upwards of six life sentences.

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Jurors Finds Fields Guilty of First-Degree Murder

Charlottesville Jury to Recommend Sentence for White Nationalist

Dec 10, 2018

"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A man convicted of first-degree murder for driving his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia faces 20 years to life in prison as jurors reconvene to consider his punishment.

The panel that convicted James Alex Fields Jr. will hear more evidence Monday before recommending a sentence for Judge Richard Moore..."

Charlottesville Jury to Recommend Sentence for White Nationalist


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
During the hearing, potentially dozens of people will deliver victim impact statements. At the end, the jury will give their recommended sentencing and Judge Moore will hand down the official sentence. The hearing is expected to last two or three days.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 2m2 minutes ago
NOW: Susan Bro, mother of Heyer, is on the witness stand during the penalty phase of James Fields' trial.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 7m7 minutes ago
Bro opened by detailing the injuries suffered by Heyer, including a severed aorta and lacerations that left skin and blood on Fields's windshield. She said Heyer bled out internally within minutes of being struck.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 5m5 minutes ago
Bro described Heyer's death as "an explosion on the world."

In tears, Bro said her daughter was "full of love, justice, and fairness. Mr. Fields tried to silence that with his car, but I will not allow it."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
Bro said she has been continuing Heyer's work on social activism since her death. Bro described her herself as the type of mom that "if you mess with my daughter on the playground, it's on."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
"I do not hate Mr. Fields," Bro said. "I'm leaving him in the hands of justice."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 34m34 minutes ago
Bro described the impact Heyer's death had on her family. She said Heyer's step-dad had a special bond with her, and now it's gone. She said almost every member of her family has gone theough grief therapy, which she said only helps a little. "We are forever scarred by pain."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 32m32 minutes ago
Bro herself is unable to hold a full-time job. She can't read books because she can't hold her concentration long enough. She said that her marriage has struggled because of Heyer's death and the trial has reopened wounds.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 30m30 minutes ago
Bro said she can't even go to the grocery store without being interviewed or asked questions about her daughter and sometimes has to go home to sit behind closed curtains. She said she can live with that to help spread word against hate.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 30m30 minutes ago
Bro ended by saying she would trade all of the support she has received, both emotional and financial, if she could have her daughter back.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 29m29 minutes ago
Before Bro testified, other witnesses took the stand. The first was Jeanne Peterson, who was injured by Fields' car on Aug. 12, 2017.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 27m27 minutes ago
Peterson said Aug. 12 was one if the scariest days of her life. She laid on the road with her head splinted not knowing if she would be paralyzed. She has been struggling with PTSD after seeing her friend (Heather Heyer) murdered.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 26m26 minutes ago
"The past 16 months have been a nightmare," Peterson said. She has nerve pain as a result of a partially broken spine, broken hip, and two broken legs. She has gone through 15 months of physical therapy and still needs help walking and standing.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 24m24 minutes ago
"On my best days, I have 20 percent of the energy I did before the attack," Peterson said. She has struggled with infections in her legs that she says will likely cause long-term issues.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 23m23 minutes ago
In tears, Peterson said her 7-year-old son is afraid to go out in public. "What if there's another bad guy out there?" Peterson said her son asks.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 22m22 minutes ago
Lastly, Peterson said that seeing the man who committed the crimes show no emotion has made it worse. She said she will be affected the rest of her life because of the decisions Fields made that day.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 20m20 minutes ago
Wednesday Bowie, another victim from the car attack, testified this morning. She began by thanking the community of activists who have supported her since the attack and during the trial.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 20m20 minutes ago
Bowie said she hasn't been able to work for over a year. She said a friend of hers who was with her on Aug. 12, 2017 won't talk to her because of the trauma they struggle with.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 19m19 minutes ago
She can't drive or cross a street without having visions of cars crashing into her. "I am not the same person I was before that day and I will never be the same."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 18m18 minutes ago
Bowie said she has been hospitalized three times for PTSD since the attack.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 18m18 minutes ago
"Please know that the world is not a safe place with Fields in it," Bowie told the jury before leaving the stand.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 16m16 minutes ago
Lisa Q, another victim of the car attack, also testified on behalf of the commonwealth. She said she has no memory of the car's impact or the pain of her bones breaking, but her momory picks up with her on the ground.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 15m15 minutes ago
Lisa said her brain shielded her from the pain until she was taken to UVA Hospital. While there, she was afraid an Alt-Right member would come to try and kill her.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 14m14 minutes ago
She said all the bones connecting her wrist to the base of her fingers were broken and thst doctors had trouble getting her hand straightened. Lisa suffered odd pains in the hospital, which was later identified as nerve pains.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 12m12 minutes ago
Lisa would experience a flood of pain every time she woke up in the hospital. She is worried about the health of her left knee and hopes she won't need a knee replacement.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 12m12 minutes ago
Lisa said she still has problems chewing because of injuries suffered to her jaw. She has spent thousands of dollars in dental treatment.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 11m11 minutes ago
The commonwealth has rested its penalty case. The court has broken for lunch and will reconvene shortly after 1 p.m. The defense says it only has one witness.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
CORRECTION: Above tweet should say "dozens of people *may deliver victim impact statements."
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 28m28 minutes ago
The defense called Dr. Daniel Murrie to testify. Dr. Murrie is an expert in the field of forensic psychology and performed a court-appointed mental health evaluation of James Fields after August 12, 2017.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 26m26 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie described Fields' family background as traumatic. Fields' father died before he was born. His mother also suffered. He said her sister died shortly after Fields was born and her parents died in a murder-suicide. She is also physically impaired.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 25m25 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie works at the UVA School of Medicine. He said Fields' father as well as both grandfathers were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 23m23 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie said Fields has a long history of having a difficult temperament, dating back to before he could talk. He received special education services in grade school. His ADHD diagnosis shifted to an emotional and behavioral disability diagnosis as he got older.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 21m21 minutes ago
He said Fields showed explosive, volatile reactions to everyday stressors. Fields first saw a bipolar specialist at age 6 and put on psychiatric medication. He was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility at age 7 and again at age 10.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 18m18 minutes ago
Fields was sent to a residential treatment facility at age 14 to receive a more structured education. Fields also saw an autism specialist after showing symptoms for Asperger's. At the same age, Fields was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 17m17 minutes ago
Fields often preferred social isolation and records showed he was bullied a lot. In adulthood, Fields still reported isolation, but his temper did better with structure and stability.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 16m16 minutes ago
His intellectual ability was normal except for slow processing speed. He struggled in public schools, but had interest in military academys. He was accepted to Fishbourne Academy in Virginia, but was unaccepted because of psychiatric medication. This was devastating to Fields.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 15m15 minutes ago
After that, Fields began tapering off his meds so he can go to military academy, with the help of doctors. He was eventually off of them. He went to boot camp, failed a fitness test, and lost interest. He went home depressed and spent 100 hours/week playing video games.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 13m13 minutes ago
Fields eventually got a job as a night shift secuity guard, to intentionally limit social interaction. Most of his friends were online. He still had unexplained outbursts.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 16m16 minutes ago
In his opinion, Dr. Murrie said Fields did not qualify for the insanity defense criteria. Murrie said his explosive emotions point toward bipolar, and flat, emotionless states point to autism. He said the medication he is on now explains his flat demeanor during the trial.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 14m14 minutes ago
During cross examination, Dr. Murrie said Fields showed a pattern on violent behavior. He once drew obscene things in a textbook, was asked to leave the classroom, then told another teacher he was going to "butcher" them and that they "deserve to be homeless."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 12m12 minutes ago
After the incident, Fields was able to express regret for his actions, but unable to apologize for them when meeting with a school psychologist. Murrie said Fields was sometimes physically violent with his mom and teachers, but was not abused or neglected by mother.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 11m11 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie said Fields' violence was often directed toward people who try to correct him or make requests of him. This was most often at home and school and led to explosive anger.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 11m11 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie said Fields's social media showed hundreds of racist, misogynistic, or offensive posts. He also said Fields' mother helped him find his own place because he was being abusive toward her.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 9m9 minutes ago
During redirect, Dr. Murrie said Fields found out about his family trauma very early, btleteeen ages 3 and 4. This includes his father's death and grandparents' murder-suicide.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 9m9 minutes ago
Dr. Murrie also said while he thinks Fields does not meet the criteria for an insanity defense, he does not believe Fields arrived to Charlottesville in good mental health.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
During closing arguments, Platania told the jury there is not much he could say in a more powerful way than the victims.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 6m6 minutes ago
In regards to the charges of aggrivated malicious wounding, he said life sentences are appropriate because of the permanent nature of the victims' injuries.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 5m5 minutes ago
During the defense's closing arguments, Lunsford said Fields' mental health history is not to offer an excuse for his actions, but rather an explanation and to provide context.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
Lunsford pointed to the fact that Fields was medicated at a very early age and reminded the jury of what Dr. Murrie said, which was that the lack of insanity doesn't mean mental health didn't have a role that day.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 2m2 minutes ago
Lunsford said Fields was a mentally compromised individual on Aug. 12, 2017. She said while his mental health is not an excuse, it provides context and helps direct the jury toward an appropriate sentence.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 1m1 minute ago
Lunsford told the jury Fields showed remorse after the crash, when he told police he didn't need help and that ambulances should be helping victims and that he cried after hearing of a fatality.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 32s33 seconds ago
In his rebutal, Platania reminded the jury that Dr. Murrie said Fields knew what he was doing that day.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
He quoted Susan Bro, who said "I'm leaving [Mr. Fields] in the hands of justice. Then he quoted MLK Jr., saying "The arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

"Now is the moment to deliver justice for the victims," Platania said.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 7m7 minutes ago
Both sides have rested their cases and finished closing arguments. The jury has been given instructions and is now in deliberation.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 58m58 minutes ago
JUST IN: Jury has asked for a break in deliberation until tomorrow morning. Court will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.


molly ‏ @socialistdogmom 37m37 minutes ago
the jurors were starting to worry about the melting snow refreezing as it drops below freezing this evening, so they’ve asked to return tomorrow morning at 10am to continue sentencing deliberations. no decision tonight.
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The Latest: No sentence yet for man who rammed protesters

December 10, 2018

"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of James Alex Fields Jr. for the murder of Heather Heyer (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

Jurors have told a judge they need more time to come up with a sentencing recommendation for a man who killed a woman and injured dozens when he drove his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia last year.

The jury that convicted James Alex Fields Jr. of first-degree murder and other charges deliberated on his sentence for just under two hours Monday. Jurors then told Judge Richard Moore they would like to go home for the day and resume deliberations Tuesday morning...."

The Latest: Defense says Fields has history of mental issues | WTOP
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Expert: Fields diagnosed as bipolar at 6, hospitalized twice by 10

"James Alex Fields Jr. was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder at 6 and had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital twice by the time he was 10, according to a forensic psychology expert....

Despite his early diagnosis and a history of angry and violent outbursts, said psychologist Daniel Murrie of the University of Virginia, Fields did not meet the legal standard to be declared insane at the time he rammed his car into a group of anti-racist protesters after the Unite the Right rally had been declared an unlawful assembly.

“In order to meet the legal definition of insanity, the individual has to not understand the nature of what they’re doing,” Murrie said in Charlottesville Circuit Court. “Though it’s ultimately a legal question, I do not think Mr. Fields meets the requirements.”

Murrie testified Monday afternoon just before the jury retired to deliberate on a sentencing recommendation.

Wearing one of two sweaters he has alternated between during the course of the trial and with a new haircut resembling the one popularized by white supremacist Richard Spencer, Fields watched the testimony with a flat expression....

In court earlier Monday, Susan Bro, Heyer’s mother, read a victim impact statement to the jury....

Bro’s testimony was joined by that of three survivors of the attack, including Star Peterson, who suffered lasting and extensive leg injuries....

After nearly two hours of deliberations, jurors asked to end for the day around 5 p.m. They will resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday."

Expert: Fields diagnosed as bipolar at 6, hospitalized twice by 10
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Updated: Jury to Continue Sentence Deliberation on Tuesday (with clip)

Dec 10, 2018

"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) -
Jurors in the James Alex Fields, Jr. trial will resume sentence deliberation on Tuesday at 10 a.m. They began deliberating their recommended sentences on the 10 charges Fields has been found guilty of at 3 p.m. Monday, December 10...

The 21-year-old Ohio man could receive multiple life sentences. Judge Richard Moore will consider the jury’s recommendations, but will ultimately decide Fields’ punishment."

Updated: Jury to Continue Sentence Deliberation on Tuesday
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After 'Unite the Right' guilty verdict, survivors celebrate, alt-right rages as Charlottesville seeks to reclaim normalcy

December 10, 2018

"...The spot on Fourth Street near the corner of Water Street where Heyer died has become a memorial to the 32-year-old paralegal.

Chalk writings and purple flowers mark the area, which the city has renamed “Honorary Heather Heyer Way.”

After the verdict, someone wrote in chalk on the sidewalk “Justice” and “We (heart) you Heather.”

Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, and Fields’ mother, Samantha Bloom, each left the courthouse quickly and quietly after the verdict.

For many of the victims and survivors of Fields’ attack, the verdict proved to be a relief after two weeks of tense days in court.

Several made their way downtown the night of the verdict, singing, celebrating and rejoicing that the legal system worked....
Formal sentencing will take place in two to three months.

And the legal fights are far from over.

Fields faces a federal hate crimes criminal trial stemming from the incident. If convicted, Fields could be sentenced to death in that case.

And a federal jury is scheduled to hear a civil lawsuit stemming from the “Unite the Right” rally brought by multiple Charlottesville residents alleging a conspiracy by rally organizers and participants to commit violence.

That trial is scheduled for July 8 through Aug. 2.

Fields is a defendant in that trial as well...."

After 'Unite the Right' guilty verdict, survivors celebrate, alt-right rages as Charlottesville seeks to reclaim normalcy
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
Judge Moore has answered two questions by the jury. Before answering, he thanked them for their questions because he said it shows they are thinking and wanting to get the sentence right.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 10m10 minutes ago
The first question is whether the sentences run consecutively or concurrently. Moore said that normally in Virginia, sentences run consecutively. The jury may recommend they run concurrently, but the judge does not have to honor that.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 9m9 minutes ago
The next is about the possibility of parole later in Fields' life. Judge Moore said he can't answer that, but instructed them to impose each sentence as they see appropriate and to not concern themselves with what might happen next.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
Judge Moore told the jury that "It's your verdict" and that he "Finds it inappropriate to call it a recommendation."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
In Virginia, a judge can lessen a sentence handed down by a jury, but not raise it. It is rare, however, that a judge lessens the sentence by a jury.
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NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 29m29 minutes ago
JUST IN: Judge Moore says jury has reached a verdict on sentences of all charges against James Fields Jr.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 23m23 minutes ago
BREAKING: Jury recommends James Fields Jr. serve life sentence with a fine of $100,000 for first-degree murder of Heather Heyer.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 20m20 minutes ago
BREAKING: The jury recommends sentences of 70 years and fines of $70,000 for each of the 5 charges of aggravated malicious wounding.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 20m20 minutes ago
MORE The jury recommends sentences of 20 years and fines of $10,000 for each of the three charges of malicious wounding.



NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 20m20 minutes ago
MORE: The jury recommends a sentence of 9 years for the charge of leaving the scene of an accident.



NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 8m8 minutes ago
In all, the jury has recommended that Fields serve one life sentence and 419 years in prison. They also recommended fines totaling $510,000



NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 5m5 minutes ago
Judge Moore has accepted the jury's verdicts, but will not impose a sentence yet. A sentencing hearing will be held on March 19 at 9:30 a.m.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
Before releasing the jury, Judge Moore thanked them for being an attentive jury. "We have taken two weeks of your life. This is a price for citizenship, but it's a price we all have to pay."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 4m4 minutes ago
Moore said they had an intensive and careful jury selection process and believes they found a fair and impartial jury.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 2m2 minutes ago
He also told the jury that since this case has gained national and international attention, to beware of what they see on social media. "Thoughtfulness and kindness are not prerequisites for social media. Ignore all responses that may come to your attention."


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 1m1 minute ago
Before court ended the defense renewed their previous motions, including an objection to the allowed use of evidence and the motion to less the charge of first-degree murder. Judge Moore denied all motions for same reasons already on the record.


NBC29 Fields Trial‏ @NBC29Trials 6m6 minutes ago
CORRECTION: The fines that Fields faces totals $480,000.
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