(WARNING: Video is graphic and NSFW)
Neo-Nazi and self-professed white supremacist James Alex Fields has pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 federal hate crimes in a deal approved by Attorney General William Barr. As part of the plea, prosecutors agreed not to ask for the death penalty.
Washington Post reports:
James Alex Fields Jr., 25, of Ohio, was convicted on 29 of 30 counts as part of a deal with prosecutors, who agreed they would not seek the death penalty in a case that has come to symbolize the violent resurgence of white supremacy across the country.
The deal was approved by new Attorney General William Barr, prosecutors said. Fields entered the courtroom in a gray and white jumpsuit and handcuffs.
Fields was convicted in state court and sentenced to life in prison in December for first-degree murder and other counts for killing Heather D. Heyer, 32, and injuring dozens at the chaotic Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12, 2017.
Pleading guilty to hate crimes marks a dramatic shift for Fields, whose attorneys argued during his trial in state court that he sped toward the crowd out of fear for his safety and confusion. They said he immediately regretted his actions.
It is long past time to set aside Trump's absurd claim that there are "very fine people on both sides." There aren't. It's good that Fields is locked up for the rest of his life. His cell should be wallpapered with the images of his victims staring down upon him. Forever, before he rots in whatever version of the afterlife is worst for him.
