Charlottesville Nazi Convicted of Killing of Heather Heyer
It’s been over a year since the Charlottesville white supremacist riots, and the biggest suspect has finally been properly convicted. James Alex Fields, age 21, faced multiple charges for plowing his car straight through a crowd of counter protesters, killing one woman, Heather Heyer, and injuring 19 others.
Fields will be serving a life sentence after being convicted of first degree murder by a jury on December 7. The sentencing hearing started Monday, December 10, and was determined the following morning.
According to the prosecution, it was with malicious intent that Fields traveled to Charlottesville to attend the Unite the Right rally and certainly had the greater intention of hurting those who do not agree with him. The defense argued, however, that Fields was acting out of self-defense and felt threatened. After the conviction, the defense left the courthouse without giving a statement.
The Unite the Right rally, led by Neo-nazi Jason Kessler, is a white supremacist rally held annually to reinforce white power in the United States. Disguised as a “nonviolent” way to celebrate the first amendment and what our country stands for, protesters marched through the streets of Charlottesville shouting hateful rhetoric towards anyone who is not white. Chants in the infamous 2017 rally started off as “Blood and Soil” and escalated to “The Jews Will Not Replace Us” and “White Lives Matter.”
Heather Heyer, aged 32, was the only person who died in the riots but serves as a symbol for the rising racism in the United States and the impact it can have if action is not taken. Relevantly, days before her death she posted on Facebook about going to the riots, stating “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”
Heyer’s father, Mark Heyer, said in his statement that he did not want Fields to receive the death penalty for killing his daughter. “He was too stupid and too young to realize what he was about to do would change his whole life," he said. "I think about his mother and what she’s having to go through." Heyer stated he would rather see Fields go to prison for life and possibly understand what he did wrong.
Fields, however, has not reciprocated the courtesy the family has offered: he called Heather Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, and called her “one of those anti-white communists.” He even went as far as to say that “It doesn’t matter. It’s not up for questioning. She’s the enemy.”
The Charlottesville jury recommended the life sentence to Fields for first degree murder as well as 419 years, 70 years for each person severely injured. Judge Richard Moore will decide whether or not to sign off on the sentence March 29.
By Annie Levy