James Fields Sentenced to Life in Prison for Death of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville

The New York Times ^ | June 28, 2019 | Mitch Smith

[FewsOrange]

James Fields Jr., the white supremacist who murdered a woman two summers ago when he steered a Dodge Challenger into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Charlottesville, Va., was sentenced Friday to life in federal prison.

Lawyers for Mr. Fields, 22, had pleaded for mercy, citing his difficult childhood and mental health problems. Prosecutors had sought the life sentence, arguing that Mr. Fields’s racist, anti-Semitic beliefs motivated the decision to attend the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and to attack counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens of others.

“The defendant’s crimes were so horrendous — and the maiming of innocents so severe — that they outweigh any factors the defendant may argue form a basis for leniency,” federal prosecutors told the judge in a sentencing memo. “This is particularly true in light of the fact that he has demonstrated that he feels no remorse for his actions and continues to espouse his hateful ideology.”

...

Mr. Fields was convicted separately in state court of first-degree murder in December, and jurors recommended a life sentence. A judge will decide in the coming weeks whether to accept that recommendation.

[IrishBrigade]

‘If that’s true’

if, if, if...now tell us what you know for sure...

[Thank You Rush]

After what this country has been through for the past 2-3 years with our own Justice Department, I don’t trust any prosecutors to do the right thing - especially after reading Sidney Powell’s book - License to Lie. They apparently did change it to first degree murder but it still doesn’t make sense - video or no video! The good Lord help any innocent person who gets caught up in the justice system we have today....

[Alberta's Child]

See Post #43. I also know the dude pleaded guilty to murder, so I don’t see his anyone can keep a straight face while claiming that he was “railroaded.”

“He railroaded himself!” — said nobody with an IQ over 40, ever.

[dljordan]

“So where are they? “

So you’re calling me a liar? Troll.

[DoodleDawg]

How do they arrive at "first degree murder"? Does it not require premeditation?

He deliberately drove his car into the crowd.

[IrishBrigade]

‘See Post #43.’

so the guy, prior to the actual event, posted regarding a hypothetical, and no doubt hyperbolic, event happening to a bloc of gathered protesters...on the basis of this as yet to happen occurrence, referenced in a flippant posting, you are positing a first degree premeditated action, when any visual evidence is inconclusive in proving that...?

just so I understand, are you stating that a hypothetical remark, made well in advance, is in fact dispositive proof of malice aforethought, should the referenced event actually occur...?

[Balding_Eagle]

You need a course in reading comprehension, or maybe you just forgot what I actually said.

[Balding_Eagle]

I’ll give you the last word.

[ohioman]

Whatever.

[IrishBrigade]

‘He deliberately drove his car into the crowd.’

number one, unless you can somehow put yourself in this guy’s mind, you have no basis for stating it was deliberate; it is the type of action that can happen through panic..and

number two, in order to bring a charge of first degree murder, is is necessary to establish malice aforethought in executing the action...no evidence supports that establishment...

[mumblypeg]

He’ll appeal & eventually will be released.
Mark my words.

Antifa got a win this go-round.

They wont be able to resist replaying their winning formula (i.e. violently attack, create chaos in which someone gets hurt/ killed, then blame the other side.)

Except next time, people will notice that’s their strategy & pattern of behavior, and will call them out on it.

[DoodleDawg]

number one, unless you can somehow put yourself in this guy’s mind, you have no basis for stating it was deliberate; it is the type of action that can happen through panic..and

Looks deliberate in the video evidence.

number two, in order to bring a charge of first degree murder, is is necessary to establish malice aforethought in executing the action...no evidence supports that establishment...

Not in Virginia. According to the Virginia statute any "any willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing" is first degree murder. Since the video evidence shows he knowingly drove his car at high speed into the crowd then that wasn't hard to prove.

[Coronal]

He admitted to deliberately driving the car into the crowd as part of his plea agreement.

[Boomer]

This is what makes no sense to me knowing how men feel about their cars. How does this kid go from this...

Then turning down the wrong street to be met by this...

Then while trying to escape his attackers he plows into this...

My $.02 is he was railroaded and made an example of. He shares some blame but I don't see a premeditated murder. I see a slow-witted dumb kid who listened to the wrong people and got some twisted ideas in his head. What I don't see is him taking his pride and joy to Charlotteville to mow down some antifa jerks who were mostly white by the way.

Any sentence of more than 10 years is ridiculous. He should be eligible for parole in 7 years. Justice was not served in this case. It's purely and completely a political sentence.

[flamberge]

Where? Put up or shut up.

The video was posted on YouTube. Thousands of people saw it.

It has since been removed. What a surprise! (Not!). Perhaps somebody managed to save copies.

And there is more than once such video. At least two people captured part of the timeline from different angles. All this has been purged from social media.

The main video was taken on a cell phone and shows the car being attacked by Antifa demonstrators who struck at it with bats and threw objects at the windows. The driver speeds off down the hill away from his attackers and hits a larger crowd less than a minute later.

The attack on the car does not justify ramming into the crowd below. It does not make the incident a first-degree murder either. The death toll would have been in the dozens if there was any deliberation intention behind the crash.

The sentence was grotesquely disproportionate. The Leftists send a very clear message.

[x]

Look at the sign on the left in the first photo. The second photo which shows people running away from the speeding car has that same sign in the same place.

I don't know about the timeline of the pictures, but it looks like he wasn't really trying to escape the protestors. Either the first photo was taken as he was driving into the crowd, or it was taken before, but he returned to the same place to drive into the crowd.

Notice too, all the space on the approach to the death site.

If he wanted to avoid trouble, all he had to do was stay in his car and pull over.

[Alberta's Child]

You asked me what I KNOW ... and yet you presume to know that the remarks he posted were "hypothetical," "hyperbolic" and "flippant."

I'm basing my comments on a guilty plea in a murder case.

What are YOUR observations about this incident based on?

[x]

The main video was taken on a cell phone and shows the car being attacked by Antifa demonstrators who struck at it with bats and threw objects at the windows. The driver speeds off down the hill away from his attackers and hits a larger crowd less than a minute later.

Same crowd. Same place. Either he had an exceptionally bad sense of direction or he came back intending to cause harm.

The death toll would have been in the dozens if there was any deliberation intention behind the crash.

You're assuming deliberate intention would have been to have a high body count. What if his intention was to hurt somebody and he was willing to run the risk of killing them, or to kill somebody without causing complete mayhem?

[Karl Spooner]

https://youtu.be/pVkD7c2D6H0

.

[Boomer]

We clearly see this differently. The courts have spoken though and unless he can get and win an appeal; his life is over with before it began. Sad all the way around. I understand the kid is/was slow-witted and probably more impressionable than others his age who are more normally gifted with a standard IQ.

He made some bad decisions but I simply don’t see intentional premeditated murder here that would warrant life in prison. Maybe you do.