Jury convicts Vermont man of attempted murder in shooting of 3 Palestinian students

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Jury convicts Vermont man of attempted murder in shooting of 3 Palestinian students

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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.

Published 2026-09-21 20:59:59 UTC · Published by JQJO

Prepared by Ayesha A. · AI assisted

More context

Timeline

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

Why it matters

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.

Coverage notes

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