Neo-Nazi in car assault guilty in 29 hate crimes

James Fields Jr., a neo-Nazi convicted of murder in a car attack on an anti-racism activist after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty Wednesday to 29 federal hate crime charges.

Under the terms of the agreement, one additional charge, which could have brought the death penalty, was dropped, according to The Daily Progress.

Fields of Maumee, Ohio, was convicted in December on state murder charges for killing Heather Heyer by driving his car into a crowd of counterprotesters leaving the Unite the Right rally in 2017.

The plea deal means there will be no trial on federal charges. Fields pleaded not guilty to the federal counts last year.

Fields attended the Unite the Right rally where hundreds of white nationalists protested plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park.

The rally, in turn, drew hundreds of activists, such as Heyer, to protest the white nationalist gathering.

Federal prosecutors described Fields as a Nazi sympathizer who advocated violence against blacks and Jews on social media and who participated in chants promoting white supremacy and racist views during the Charlottesville demonstrations.

In Fields’ murder trial, the jury rejected the defense claim that he acted in self-defense because he feared for his life after witnessing violence during the rally. Fields rammed protesters as they were leaving the demonstrations.

A judge will decide the punishment at a hearing scheduled for July 15.

The state jury recommended a life sentence plus 419 years for the killing.