Man to Stand Trial for Murder of Jewish Protester in California
The prosecution alleges that Loay Alnaji hit a 69-year-old demonstrator, Paul Kessler, with a megaphone before Kessler fell and hit his head on the pavement at a street corner in Thousand Oaks, California in November. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office detailed this in a statement. Kessler, who was protesting in favor of Israel, ultimately passed away in a hospital. Medical examiners concluded that death was the result of a head injury caused by the impact of the megaphone and his fall.
Alnaji now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery accusations following a complex investigation. The police stated that statements from witnesses on both the pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides of the conflict were inconsistent. Alnaji has pleaded not guilty, as reported by the district attorney's office last year.
The intense clashes occurred during one of many protests sweeping across American cities in the weeks after Hamas initiated attacks on Israel on October 7, causing approximately 1,200 casualties and abducting roughly 200 people. Israel's continued military response in Gaza has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and is exacerbating a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
During a two-day hearing, the prosecutors provided evidence against Alnaji, including DNA analysis of blood on the megaphone, which matches Kessler, and video and audio captured on Kessler's phone prior to his fall, the district attorney's office revealed.
The prosecution has yet to uncover any evidence indicating that Alnaji committed a hate crime, as stated in the release.
Alnaji’s attorney, Ron Bamieh, previously informed CNN that Kessler "got in the face of many of the protesters," including Alnaji. He said that Kessler put his phone in Alnaji’s face and Alnaji "brushed" it away. “When (Kessler) fell, my client is seen on the video six to eight feet away from him,” Bamieh added.
Bamieh also disclosed that Alnaji "fully cooperated with law enforcement, attempted to aid Mr. Kessler when he fell, and called 911 when he realized that Mr. Kessler was hurt.”
After being charged, Alnaji was put on administrative leave from his job in the Ventura County Community College District, made up of three colleges. He worked at Moorpark College, reports The Los Angeles Times.
Alnaji is out on a $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on June 10 for an arraignment, the district attorney's office stated. He risks a possible 4-year prison sentence if convicted.
What the authorities have shared about the simultaneous demonstrations
The confrontation happened during two simultaneous rallies attended by about 75 to 100 people: "Freedom for Palestine" and "We are Pro-Israel", according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Just after 3:20 p.m. on November 5, the sheriff's office received multiple complaints about a potential assault related to the protests at an intersection, shared Sheriff Jim Fryhoff.
Shortly after, law enforcement and paramedics arrived at the scene, finding Kessler lying on the ground, conscious and responsive.
Investigators concluded that Alnaji, a pro-Palestinian protester, was engaged in an altercation with Kessler. At some point, Kessler fell backwards and hit his head on the ground, authorities said. Both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian witnesses' accounts of the altercation were conflicting.
A 50-year-old suspect was also questioned, where he told the deputies that he was involved in an altercation with Kessler, added Fryhoff. The sheriff's office subsequently searched the suspect's home the following day. The authorities did not disclose whether the suspect was Alnaji at the time.
Kessler was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later passed away from the injuries. Furthermore, an autopsy by Ventura County's Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Christopher Young, found Kessler had suffered injuries from the fall, including skull fractures, brain swelling and bruising, and nonlethal injuries to his face. Additionally, he had no lethal injuries other than those sustained during the fall.
The district attorney described Kessler as a father of one who had been married for 43 years and had worked in medical sales for “a number of decades". He also taught sales and marketing.
CNN's Cindy Von Quednow has contributed to this report.
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Despite Alnaji's attorney's claims that his client was six to eight feet away from Kessler when he fell, the Ventura County community, where Alnaji worked, expressed concern and called for his dismissal.
The district attorney's office indicated that they would present the case to a grand jury, involving both 'us' (the community) and Alnaji, to determine if there should be a trial.
Source: edition.cnn.com
