Loay Alnaji pleads guilty to felony charges in connection with 2023 death of Paul Kessler during protests in Thousand Oaks
Alnaji accepted a plea deal that could limit jail time to one year after prosecutors and Kessler’s family sought a four-year prison term.
- On Tuesday, Loay Alnaji pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious injury in the 2023 death of Paul Kessler, with sentencing scheduled for June 25 in Ventura County Superior Court.
- The charges stem from a November 5, 2023, confrontation in Thousand Oaks where Alnaji struck Kessler with a megaphone during dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests, causing Kessler to fall and suffer fatal injuries.
- Judge Derek Malan offered a plea deal limiting Alnaji's sentence to three years of formal probation and up to one year in jail, despite prosecutors requesting a maximum four-year prison term.
- Critics including StopAntisemitism labeled the agreement a "devastating failure of justice," while Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko objected, stating a prison commitment underscores the crime's severity.
- Characterizing the fatal encounter as a dispute between "two old guys," Malan avoided linking Alnaji's actions to rising antisemitic tensions, while defense attorney Ron Bamieh stated the decision was guided by family well-being and community peace.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Moorpark professor may avoid prison time in death of Jewish man at Thousand Oaks protest
A Moorpark professor and pro-Palestininian protester changed his plea to guilty in the death of a Jewish man at a protest in Thousand Oaks. As a result, he could avoid spending time in state prison.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Jewish Pro-Israel Protester; Judge Weighs Light Sentence
Chalk drawer Elena Colombo of the Hamakom Synagogue draws a blue star around blood at the exact location on the sidewalk where Paul Kessler was attacked in Thousand Oaks, California, US, Nov. 7, 2023. Photo: Mike Blake via Reuters Connect Prosecutors in Ventura County, California have obtained a felony conviction against a community college professor who caused the death of an elderly Jewish man he struck in the face with a megaphone during a he…
Loay Alnaji pleads guilty to felony charges in connection with 2023 death of Paul Kessler during protests in Thousand Oaks
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji of Moorpark pled guilty Tuesday to all charged counts in connection with the death of Paul Kessler after Alnaji hit Kessler in the head with a megaphone during protests in Thousand Oaks in November of 2023. Alnaji pled guilty to a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and a felony count of battery causing serious injury as well as the special allegations that he used a weapon during the…
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