Rally-death suspect to claim self-defense

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — An Ohio man charged with killing a woman during a white nationalist rally in Virginia plans to argue that he believed he was acting in self-defense when he drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters.

A lawyer for James Alex Fields Jr. offered a glimpse of the defense strategy as jury selection began Monday in Charlottesville.

The Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12, 2017, rally drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville, where officials planned to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Hundreds more showed up to protest against the white nationalists.

The two sides began brawling before the rally got underway, throwing punches, setting off smoke bombs and unleashing chemical sprays. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car authorities say was driven by Fields plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Fields’ attorney, John Hill, told a group of prospective jurors on Monday that the jury will hear evidence that Fields, now 21, “thought he was acting in self-defense.”

Nearly all of the 68 prospective jurors in the first group to be questioned said they had read or heard about the case. About 20 people said they had formed an opinion on it but could decide the case based solely on the evidence presented in court.

The trial is expected to last about three weeks.