BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Nearly four months after three college students of Palestinian descent were injured in a shooting in Burlington, the man accused in the attack, Jason Eaton, faced a judge Friday afternoon.
Jason Eaton was escorted into the courtroom Friday for the first time since his arraignment in November when he pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder.
The 48-year-old is accused of shooting three college students of Palestinian descent on November 25th outside of his Burlington apartment on North Prospect St. All three victims remain in various stages of recovery, although one remains partially paralyzed.
“The first thing we would like to do is express our — and Mr. Eaton’s — continued hope for the healing of the three young men and their families. That healing includes the larger community here in Burlington and throughout the world,” Eaton’s lawyer, Margaret Jansch, told reporters.
Citing the publicity of the case, Jansch asked Superior Court Judge Kevin Griffin that he be allowed to appear in civilian clothing rather than a prison jumpsuit. “Seeing him shackled and in prison clothes at this stage undermines the presumption of innocence,” she said.
Police say they stumbled upon Eaton during a routine canvass of the neighborhood following the shooting. The affidavit says he told officers, “he’d been waiting for them,” and asked for a lawyer. In his apartment, police matched a gun and ammunition to bullets found at the crime scene.
During Friday’s status conference, both sides discussed their progress as the discovery phase of the case continues.
“It’s a natural human desire to want a quick and easy solution to explain the why. Our request is for patience and to keep an open mind,” Jansch said.
The courtroom was packed, including members of the group Vermonters for Justice in Palestine. The group’s Wafic Faour says they are calling on state prosecutors to charge Eaton with a hate crime, which legal experts say proving is extremely difficult to do. “For the long run, we are going to stay strong as a community and we’re going to force our feelings, too. We’re going to express it by being present in the court. We are not silent, we will never be silent,” he said.
We were not able to talk to state prosecutors about the case Friday. Both sides say they are optimistic that trial could begin as soon as January of next year. If convicted, Eaton faces 20 years to life in prison.
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