Jury convicts Vermont man of attempted murder in shooting of 3 Palestinian students
PUBLISHED Sep 21, 2026, 4:59 PM ET
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A Chittenden County Superior Court jury in Vermont convicted 51-year-old Jason Eaton on three counts of attempted second-degree murder on September 21, 2026. The verdict follows a six-day trial stemming from the November 25, 2023, shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington. The victims—Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid, all 20 at the time—were visiting family for Thanksgiving when Eaton shot them without warning near the University of Vermont campus. The attack left Awartani paralyzed from the waist down and severely injured Aliahmad and Abdalhamid. Eaton admitted to the shooting but mounted an insanity defense, claiming psychotic delusions caused him to believe intelligence agencies transmitted commands via FM radio. Jurors deliberated for under two hours before rejecting the defense after state psychiatric testimony confirmed Eaton understood the criminality of his actions. Eaton faces up to life in prison and remains remanded in custody pending sentencing.
By Ayesha A. | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- On November 25 2023 Jason Eaton shot three Palestinian students walking in Burlington Vermont
- On November 26 2023 Authorities arrested Jason Eaton at his Burlington apartment following investigation
- On November 27 2023 Jason Eaton pleaded not guilty to three attempted murder charges
- On November 27 2023 Civil rights groups called for federal hate crime investigation
- On December 01 2023 Hisham Awartani spoke out regarding permanent paralysis from shooting
- On September 15 2026 Trial began for Jason Eaton in Chittenden Superior Court
- On September 18 2026 State psychiatric expert testified Eaton retained understanding of conduct
- On September 21 2026 11:30 AM Jury deliberated after closing arguments from defense and prosecution
- On September 21 2026 01:15 PM Jury returned guilty verdict on three attempted murder counts
- On September 21 2026 Eaton remanded to custody while court schedules formal sentencing hearing
- Court expected to schedule formal sentencing hearing within coming months
- Eaton expected to serve substantial sentence up to life imprisonment
News Intelligence
- Immediate US impact: Reaffirms severe legal consequences for violent street attacks nationwide.
- Possible long-term US impact: Highlights high legal thresholds required to establish criminal insanity defenses.
- Most affected groups: Burlington Vermont law enforcement Arab American communities state judicial systems.
- Reader priority: Follow primary trial transcripts court rulings and state psychiatric assessments.
- Articles Published:
- 41
- Right Leaning:
- 3
- Left Leaning:
- 13
- Neutral:
- 25
- Distribution:
- Left 32%, Center 61%, Right 7%
Left: Highlighted hate crime concerns anti Palestinian bias and victim trauma Center: Focused directly on court testimony legal arguments and jury deliberation Right: Focused on the legal rejection of the insanity defense and prosecution evidence
Jury verdict rendered in Chittenden Superior Court on September 21 2026 https://vtdigger.org/2026/09/21/jury-finds-burlington-man-guilty-in-shooting-of-three-palestinian-students/
Coverage of Story:
From Left
US man convicted in 2023 shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont
Al Jazeera The Guardian Brown Daily Herald Washington Post CBS News NBC News NPR New York Times Time HuffPost The Independent New York Daily News San Francisco ChronicleFrom Center
A Vermont man is on trial for shooting 3 Palestinian students. He claimed the CIA told him to do it
AP News VTDigger Seven Days Vermont Arab News News From The States Newscord Reuters USA Today WPTZ MyChamplainValley Axios Politico The Hill Forbes Bloomberg Wall Street Journal Sky News Toronto Star CBC News Chicago Tribune Miami Herald Dallas Morning News Houston Chronicle Seattle Times Star Tribune OregonianFrom Right
Vermont jury convicts man in 2023 shooting of 3 Palestinian students
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