Charlottesville White Nationalist Sentenced In Fatal Car Attack

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Self-described white nationalist James Fields Jr., who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters during the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, has sentenced to life in prison Friday on federal hate crime charges. In March 2019 Fields pleaded guilty to the attack that killed Heather Heyerand injured more than two dozen others. The Associated Press reports that prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for Fields' plea. He will be sentenced next month on separate state charges.

“I apologize for the hurt and loss I’ve caused,” Fields told the court Friday, WTOP reports. “Every day I think about how things could have gone differently and how I regret my actions. I’m sorry.”

Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, said she wanted Fields to spend his life in prison but also hoped he would change his views and no longer support white supremacy. “I hope he can heal someday and help others heal,” Bro said.

Authorities said Fields kept a photo of Nazi Germany leader Adolph Hitler next to his bed and was excited to go on a tour of the Dachau concentration camp where thousands were killed by the Germans.

FBI Special Agent Wade Douthit said Fields told a high school classmate on the trip to Dachau, “This is where the magic happened.”

The classmate said when Fields viewed the camp’s gas chamber he said, “It’s almost like you can still hear them screaming,” the AP reported.

Fields had 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.

In December 2018 Fields was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Heyer and 419 additional years for other charges, plus fines totaling $480,000.

The jury's recommended sentence 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.