US neo-Nazi James Fields avoids possible death penalty by pleading guilty to hate crimes for ploughing car into Charlottesville protesters
- The 2017 attack at the infamous Unite the Right white supremacist rally killed Heather Heyer and injured dozens
- US Attorney General William Barr said the recent New Zealand massacre showed there must be ‘zero tolerance’ for violence rooted in bigotry
An avowed neo-Nazi who killed one woman and injured 35 others when he ploughed his car into a group of counterprotesters at an infamous rally in Charlottesville pleaded guilty to hate crimes in federal court Wednesday.
James Fields, 25, of Ohio was convicted on 29 of 30 federal counts as part of a deal with prosecutors, who agreed to not seek the death penalty in a case that has come to symbolise the violent public resurgence of white supremacy across the country.
The deal was approved by US Attorney General William Barr, prosecutors said.
Fields was convicted in state court and sentenced to life in prison in December for first-degree murder and other counts for killing Heather Heyer, 32, and injuring dozens at the chaotic Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017.
Sentencing for the federal crimes was scheduled for July 3. Fields faces another life sentence.