The driver who rammed a mob in Charlottesville was punished

James A. Fields, Jr., who in 2017 year rammed the crowd protesters in Charlottesville, Va., sentenced to life imprisonment, writes CNN.

Фото: Depositphotos

Fields was to be sentenced to death, but he made an agreement that pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crimes. Fields will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole.

James A. Fields Jr Photo: ALBEMARLE CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL JAIL

Before sentencing, Fields appealed to the judge and said:

“I would like to apologize. I apologize to my mother for making her go through all this. Every day I think about my actions and how this could change. Excuse me".

22-year-old Fields was dressed in a gray-white jumpsuit and behaved indifferently during the meeting.

On the subject: The car rammed a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, there are victims. A PHOTO. VIDEO

Fields was 20 years old when he joined the white nationalists. He ran over demonstrators who opposed ultra-right activists in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a result of the collision, 32-year-old lawyer Heather Heyer died.

After the closure of the trial, Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, told reporters that Fields ’apologies were just the latest attempt to get a shorter term.

“He’s the least genuine person I’ve ever met,” Breaux said. She said he probably deserves the death penalty, "but it won't accomplish anything."

Bro expressed the hope that this would give a signal to other people in hate groups.

“You can't get away with this, there are serious consequences for this. In theory, he did a lot of harm to the white movement, which I’m glad about,” she said.

Thomas Cullen, a US attorney in the Western District of Virginia, said the verdict is "an acceptable outcome in this case."

“One of the factors that the court must consider is whether it will have a chilling effect on society as a whole. Sending someone to prison for being violent sends a message to people with racist and violent views,” the prosecutor said.

On the subject: Who are the white nationalists and what do they want?

Fields' attorney, Lisa Lorish, argued before sentencing that life in prison was an excessive punishment. She argued that the court should not sentence Fields to life in prison because his medical history included mental illness and childhood trauma.

The judge acknowledged that Fields was suffering from mental health problems, and noted that he had been treated for years and had voluntarily refused treatment at the age of 18.

• Recall the riots in Charlottesville began in August 2017. After the Friday night torchlight procession organized by ultra-right activists, their opponents took to the streets. The nationalists were planning to protest against the decision of local authorities to demolish the monument to the commander-in-chief of the army of the Confederate States of America, Robert Edward Lee, but instead of a rally, riots and fights began.
• During a rally of ultra-right opponents, an unknown person drove a car to demonstrators who spoke against far right activists in Charlottesville, Va.
• A column of several hundred protesters walked along one of the central streets, after which the car drove into them. A silver passenger car drove into a crowd of people, and then passed back. As a result of the incident, at least eight people were injured and one person died.

Read also on ForumDaily:

White nationalists in the USA - what they demand and who they are

Who are the white nationalists and what do they want?

White nationalists said that Charlottesville was only the beginning

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