Source: Fox News
Summary
A California community college professor, Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, has been offered probation with up to 365 days in jail for striking an elderly pro-Israel protester, Paul Kessler, 69, with a megaphone during dueling protests in 2023. Kessler died from blunt force trauma after falling backwards. The incident occurred amidst rising antisemitism concerns and Israel-Hamas war tensions. Alnaji’s defense argues that a pre-existing brain injury caused Kessler’s death, not the blunt force trauma. The victim’s family opposed the sentence and sought the maximum term.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The case has taken a turn with the offer of probation, despite the district attorney’s office initial displeasure. The defense source claims the district attorney’s office had to take a harsher stance for political reasons. The victim’s family initially wanted the case over quickly and quietly, but later opposed the sentence. The defense argues that a pre-existing brain injury caused Kessler’s death, not the blunt force trauma. The case has sparked outrage in the Jewish community, with the Anti-Defamation League expressing disfavor with the likely sentencing outcome.
The process has become a familiar dance, with each side presenting their version of events.
Author: Evan Null
