BURLINGTON, Vt. – Trial Preparations Underway in Shooting of College Students of Palestinian Descent
The case against Jason Eaton, the man charged with shooting and wounding three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington last year, has progressed as he has been declared fit to stand trial. The evaluation findings for the 49-year-old were addressed during a court hearing on Tuesday, where the judge also granted defense attorneys additional time to gather depositions.
Eaton is accused of shooting Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all 20 years old at the time, on the evening of November 25, 2023. The students were walking in Eaton’s neighborhood near the University of Vermont, engaged in conversation in a mix of English and Arabic while donning black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves. Witnesses reported that Eaton approached and opened fire without uttering a word.
Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict, concerns have erupted regarding rising threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities throughout the United States. Eaton faces three counts of attempted murder and has remained in custody without bail since his arrest. The students’ families firmly assert that the shooting should be classified as a hate crime. However, prosecutors have stated there isn’t sufficient evidence to pursue that designation.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Eaton’s attorney, Peggy Jansch, requested an extension for the deposition deadline to June 2025. The original deadline was set for December 16, but Judge John Pacht established a new cutoff of May 31 for conducting depositions, with a status hearing scheduled for early March. The evolving situation reflects the growing complexities surrounding the case as it heads toward trial.
Source
Photo credit abcnews.go.com
