Second life term for driver in Charlottesville car attack
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — An avowed white supremacist was sentenced to life in prison plus
419 years Monday for deliberately driving his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a rally in Virginia, killing one woman and injuring dozens.
James Alex Fields Jr., 22, of Maumee, Ohio, was stoic as Circuit
Court Judge Richard Moore formally imposed the recommendation of a state jury that convicted him of murder and malicious wounding charges for his actions in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017.
Last month, Fields received a life sentence on 29 federal hate crime charges.
Fields showed no visible emotion as victims described severe physical and psychological injuries — broken bones, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression — inflicted by Fields when he plowed his car into them.
“Hello, scum,” said Jeanne “Star” Peterson, as she addressed Fields, seated about 20 feet from her at a table with his lawyers.
Peterson suffered a broken spine and a shattered right leg in the attack.
Marcus Martin, who was captured in a dramatic photo as Fields’ car struck him, said anger over what Fields did has permeated his life and affected his marriage.
“I blow up at the smallest things,” Martin said.
He said closure will come when he finds out “James Alex Fields is no longer on this Earth.”
Martin was with friends, including civil rights activist Heather Heyer,
32, when Fields rammed the crowd, killing Heyer.
Moore acknowledged Fields’ long history of mental health issues, beginning when he was institutionalized several times as a child. But he said Fields had received treatment throughout his life and his mental health issues do not excuse his crimes.