Ohio White Nationalist Sentenced For Charlottesville Murder

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Ohioan and neo-Nazi James Fields Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Heather Heyer. Fields drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters during the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The jury's recommended sentence for the Lucas County resident includes 70 years each for five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, 20 years each for three counts of malicious wounding and nine years for leaving the scene of a fatal crash, The Washington Post reported.

The jury found Fields guilty of first-degree murder on Friday. The jury recommended 419 years be added to his sentence for other charges. He also was fined $480,000. A judge will determine the final sentence on March 29, 2019.

Fields also faces federal charges: one count of a hate crime act resulting in the death of Heyer, 28 counts of hate crime acts causing bodily injury and involving an attempt to kill, and one count of racially motivated violent interference with a federally protected activity resulting in the death of Heyer.

Fields participated in the "Unite the Right" rally on Aug. 12, 2017, before driving his Dodge Challenger directly into the crowd of protesters. His car struck numerous people, killing Heyer and injuring others.

Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, and others struck by Fields' car were among those giving testimony at the sentencing hearing, The Post reported. Bro testified that "Fields tried to silence" Heyer when he drove into the crowd but said, "I refuse to allow that."

Another witness, Jeanne Peterson, continues to undergo surgeries after being injured by Fields' car. She testified that she cannot go back to work and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lawyers for Fields had argued that he acted in fear for his life. A psychologist from the University of Virginia testified that Fields could not be declared insane but has a history of mental health disorders, The Daily Progress reported.

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Patch reporter Emily Leayman contributed to this report

Photo: James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio was convicted of murder for driving his car into a crowd of counter-protesters killing one and injuring 35 on August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via Getty Images)