A Vermont man is on trial for shooting 3 Palestinian students. He claimed the CIA told him to do it
In a chilling case that has captivated both Burlington, Vermont and the West Bank, Jason Eaton, a 51-year-old man, stands on trial for the shooting of three Palestinian college students. Eaton asserts that he was instructed by the CIA and Mossad to carry out the shooting, claiming that the intelligence agencies communicated their orders to him through FM radio, and that God commanded him to safeguard his Jewish neighbors. This defense forms the core of Eaton's insanity plea as he faces attempted murder charges.
The November 2023 shooting occurred a few days after Thanksgiving, just weeks after the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war. The incident has sparked discussions regarding potential hate crime charges, but no charges were filed as questions arose about whether anti-Palestinian sentiments, a mental health crisis, or another factor drove Eaton to open fire on the victims.
The three victims, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid, all 20 at the time, were friends from Ramallah who became students at the University of Vermont. The shooting took place near the university campus on a holiday weekend, after the trio had visited Awartani's grandmother's house and attended a birthday celebration. As they walked back, they were pursued by a mysterious figure who opened fire on them.
Eaton's defense psychiatrist has indicated that he is suffering from a delusional, psychotic disorder after losing his job at a credit union two weeks before the shooting. According to his lawyer, Eaton believed he was hearing messages from the CIA after listening to a local NPR affiliate. The prosecutor, however, argues that Eaton did not have a mental disease or defect and intended to kill the victims, with no justification for his actions and no grounds for insanity.
Authorities found three shotguns and a Ruger .380-caliber handgun in Eaton's apartment, with crime lab tests confirming the handgun used in the shooting.
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