A Vermont man accused of shooting three Palestinian college students is standing trial in Burlington, with his defense centered on claims that he believed intelligence agencies had instructed him to carry out the attack. Jason Eaton, 51, faces attempted murder charges in connection with the November 2023 shooting, which left one student paralyzed and two others wounded.
The case has drawn attention because of the accused’s unusual explanation for the violence, the devastating injuries suffered by the victims and the broader tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
Vermont Shooting Case Centers on Insanity Defense
Jason Eaton’s lawyers are arguing that he was experiencing a delusional psychotic disorder when he opened fire on the three students. According to the defense, Eaton believed he was receiving messages from the CIA and Israel’s Mossad through FM radio broadcasts.
His attorney, Joshua O’Hara, told jurors that Eaton had become convinced he was carrying out an “overwatch duty” mission to protect a Jewish family living across the street from his home.
The defense says Eaton believed he had been directed by government agencies and God to act, and that he could not understand the wrongfulness of his conduct at the time.
Eaton has pleaded not guilty but does not dispute that he was the person who shot the students.
Prosecutors Challenge Claims of Mental Illness
Prosecutor Sally Adams presented a different account of the defendant’s state of mind. She said a state psychiatrist is expected to testify that Eaton did not have a mental disease or defect that would meet the legal standard for insanity.
The prosecution maintains that Eaton intended to kill the three men and was not legally justified in using a firearm against them.
Investigators found three shotguns inside Eaton’s apartment. They also recovered a Ruger .380-caliber handgun that crime lab testing identified as the weapon used in the shooting. Eaton had purchased the handgun from a Vermont gun store seven months before the attack.
If convicted, Eaton could face life in prison. A verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity could instead lead to court-ordered mental health treatment.
Palestinian Students Describe the 2023 Attack
The three victims—Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid—were 20 years old when they were shot. The students had grown up together in Ramallah in the West Bank before moving to the United States for college.
They were visiting Burlington during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in November 2023. After spending time with family and going to a bowling alley to celebrate a birthday, they were walking near the University of Vermont campus after dark when the shooting occurred.
Awartani testified that Eaton approached them without saying anything and opened fire from close range. He was shot in the chest, and the bullet caused a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He now uses a wheelchair.
Aliahmad was struck in the collarbone, while Abdalhamid suffered a gunshot wound to the right buttock.
The attack occurred only weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, prompting calls for a hate crime investigation. However, prosecutors did not file hate crime charges, as questions remained about whether the shooting was motivated by anti-Palestinian bias, mental illness or another factor.
The trial will examine the defendant’s mental state, the circumstances of the shooting and whether his insanity defense meets Vermont’s legal requirements.
