Attorney General Mark R. Herring and his team have successfully defended the convictions of James Fields, who was convicted of running his car into a group of pedestrians during the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, killing one and injuring others.
In a unanimous decision issued this morning, the Court of Appeals of Virginia rejected efforts by Fields to overturn his convictions.
“We will never forget the mayhem, violence, hate, and death that white supremacists brought to Charlottesville for their Unite the Right Rally, and we must ensure that every individual who broke the law or incited violence on that fateful day is brought to justice” Herring said. “My team and I will continue to do everything we can to put a stop to the white supremacist violence that we are seeing in the Commonwealth and across the country, and I will hold any racist or white supremacist accountable if they act on their hate.”
In 2018, a jury found Fields guilty of one count of first-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.
Following the guilty verdicts, Fields was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years and an additional fine.
“Appellate review of criminal convictions is an important part of the legal process and our office is pleased that all of Mr. Fields convictions and sentences were unanimously affirmed. I want to thank Attorney General Herring and his team for all of their hard work and dedication on this important case,” Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania said.
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