A Vermont man was found guilty on Monday of attempted murder in the shootings of three Palestinian college students near his home in Burlington in November 2023. The attack left one of the men paralyzed from the waist down and the other two wounded.

Jason Eaton, 51, was convicted following a weeklong trial in which defendants rejected an insanity defense based on his claims that he was acting under orders from the CIA and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. The jury reached the verdict after several hours of deliberation.

The shooting occurred close to the University of Vermont campus, where Eaton fired on the students—Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aljahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid—who were walking after dark. Awartani, who was shot in the chest and suffered a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis, was studying at Brown University in Rhode Island at the time. Aljahmad and Abdalhamid, both 23, were wounded but survived.

During the trial, the three men recounted their experiences on the night of the shooting, recounting a visit to Awartani’s grandmother’s home and a birthday celebration before walking near Eaton’s residence. Awartani testified that Eaton, standing stoically on a porch, suddenly approached within a few feet before firing at them without speaking. Abdalhamid described fleeing and hiding after seeing Aljahmad fall, only realizing he had also been shot later.

Eaton admitted to being the shooter but denied criminal intent. His defense attorneys argued he was psychotic and delusional, suffering from a mental disorder triggered by job loss weeks earlier. The defense presented evidence that Eaton believed he was receiving messages via FM radio from the CIA and Mossad, including orders to shoot the victims, and that he felt compelled by a divine mandate to protect his Jewish neighbors.

Prosecutors challenged these claims and highlighted the discovery of three shotguns and a Ruger .380-caliber handgun in Eaton’s apartment, with forensic testing confirming the handgun as the weapon used in the attack. Eaton had legally purchased the firearm seven months prior.

The shooting sparked significant attention locally and internationally, particularly given its timing weeks after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, prompting calls for a hate crime investigation. However, no hate crime charges were filed, as authorities considered whether Eaton’s actions were driven by anti-Palestinian animus or mental illness.

Eaton was ordered held in custody pending sentencing, the date of which has not been set. Meanwhile, Awartani and Aljahmad, who attended Monday’s verdict reading, expressed relief and embraced supporters following the decision. The trial’s outcome closes one chapter on a case that resonated deeply in both Burlington and the Palestinian communities from which the victims originated.