CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—James Fields Jr., the self-described white nationalist who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, will serve life in prison.
Fields apologized as he was sentenced Friday to life in prison for 29 federal hate crime charges. The sentencing took hours with the defense seeking a lesser sentence, but the judge ultimately went with the life sentence requested by prosecutors.
He pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 charges in March. According to The Washington Post, he and prosecutors made a deal to drop an additional charge that would have potentially carried the death penalty. He was convicted of separate state murder charges in the death of activist Heather Heyer.
In the state case, Fields awaits sentencing on July 15. In December, a Charlottesville jury recommended the Ohio man be sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Heyer and 419 additional years for charges of aggravated malicious wounding, malicious wounding, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
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The mental health disorders Fields had were detailed during the state trial, The Daily Progress previously reported. An expert testified in December that Fields could not have been declared legally insane during “Unite the Right.”
Fields had participated in the “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017, before driving his Dodge Challenger directly into the crowd of counter-protesters. His car struck numerous people, killing Heyer and injuring others. Victims and families of victims gave impact statements during the trial, while photos of the victims’ injuries and video of Fields’ car hitting counter-protesters were shown at the sentencing, according to The Daily Progress.