Key facts
- Jason Eaton was convicted of attempted murder for shooting three Palestinian American students in Vermont.
- The attack occurred on November 25, 2023.
- Hisham Awartani was paralyzed from the chest down, Tahseen Aliahmad was struck in the chest, and Kinnan Abdalhamid was struck in the glute.
- Eaton's defense argued he was not guilty by reason of insanity.
- The jury rejected the insanity defense.
- Eaton faces a sentence of up to life in prison without parole.
A jury convicted Jason Eaton of attempted murder for the November 25, 2023, shooting of three Palestinian American students in Burlington, Vermont. The victims, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdul Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed, were on their way to a family dinner when they were shot. Two of the students were speaking in Arabic and wearing keffiyehs at the time of the attack. Eaton's defense argued he was suffering from delusions and believed voices told him to carry out the attack to protect a Jewish family. The attack left Awartani paralyzed from the chest down. Eaton faces a sentence of up to life in prison without parole, with a presumptive minimum of 20 years per count. The families of the students criticized the decision not to categorize the attack as a hate crime.