The self-described neo-Nazi who rammed his car into demonstrators at a protest last year in Charlottesville, Virginia, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 419 years. It took a jury about four hours of deliberations over two days to reach the verdict.
James Alex Fields Jr. was convicted Friday of murder in the first degree and other felony crimes in connection with the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, according to news agencies.
Fields backed up his car and then barreled down a narrow street crowded with protesters before he plowed into Heyer, killing her and injuring 35 others in August 2017 while they were protesting the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally being held in Charlottesville.
The white supremacists had poured on to the campus of University of Virginia, holding tiki torches and yelling “Jews will not replace us!” prior to the attack.
Heyer’s mother made an emotional statement to the jury prior to its deliberations. The attorney for Fields argued that his client acted in self-defense.