A Chittenden County jury on Monday convicted Jason Eaton, 51, of attempted murder for the November 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, rejecting his claim of not guilty by reason of insanity. Eaton faces up to life in prison and was ordered jailed pending sentencing, which has not yet been set.
Verdict follows week-long trial and psychiatric testimony
The jury deliberated for several hours after a week-long trial that included testimony from the three victims and psychiatric experts called by both the defense and the prosecution. Prosecutors urged jurors that Eaton intended to kill the men, while the defense argued he was psychotic at the time of the shooting.
Courtroom reaction was immediate and emotional. Two of the victims, who sat in the front row, smiled and embraced family and supporters when the verdict was read. The man who suffered the most severe injury, Hisham Awartani, remains paralyzed from the waist down.
What the defense and prosecution presented
Defense attorneys told the jury Eaton was experiencing a delusional psychotic disorder. They said he believed intelligence agencies were sending messages to him through FM radio and that he had been called to a mission to protect a Jewish family across the street, and that divine commands influenced his actions.
"[Eaton] believed the intelligence agencies had enlisted him to ‘overwatch duty’ to protect a Jewish family living across the street and that God was commanding him to act,"
Prosecutors countered that a state psychiatrist had determined Eaton did not have a mental disease or defect that met the legal standard for insanity, and that the evidence demonstrated a deliberate intent to kill the three men.
Victims and impact
The shooting injured three Palestinian students: one suffered a catastrophic spinal injury and two sustained wounds. The attack, which occurred in November 2023 near the University of Vermont, drew intense local and national attention and raised concerns about campus safety and potential hate motivations.
| Victim | Injury |
|---|---|
| Hisham Awartani | Paralyzed from the waist down |
| Tahseen Aliahmad | Wounded |
| Kinnan Abdalhamid | Wounded |
The three men provided testimony during the trial, offering jurors firsthand accounts of the November 2023 incident. Their presence in the courtroom underscored the human toll of the attack.
Legal posture and next steps
With the conviction entered, Eaton will remain in custody as authorities schedule a sentencing hearing. The attempted murder conviction exposes him to a maximum penalty of life in prison under state law.
Defense counsel had pursued an insanity defense, asserting Eaton's perception of radio-transmitted messages and a delusional belief system. The supervising attorney at the Chittenden County Public Defender Office described those beliefs for jurors during the trial.
- Jury deliberation followed a week of testimony from victims and psychiatric experts.
- The prosecution relied on a state psychiatrist's conclusion that Eaton did not meet legal criteria for insanity.
- Sentencing has not been scheduled; Eaton remains jailed pending that hearing.
The case remains a focal point for conversations around community safety and the experiences of international and Palestinian students at local institutions. Authorities and university officials have previously said they continue efforts to support students and address safety concerns.
The conviction resolves a high-profile criminal case that has reverberated through Burlington and beyond since the November 2023 attack. Sentencing details and any potential appeals will shape the next chapter in a case that highlighted questions about mental illness defenses, criminal intent and the security of students in the region.
Reporting for this article relied on trial reporting and public statements made in court during the recent proceedings.
