Jason Eaton, the man accused of shooting and wounding three young Palestinian and Palestinian-American men in Burlington in November, made his first in-person court appearance Friday afternoon so that attorneys could schedule upcoming proceedings in the case.
In the brief hearing in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burlington, Judge Kevin Griffin reviewed the attorneys’ preliminary case timeline and set an “optimistic” date of Jan. 1, 2025, for Eaton’s trial.
Prosecutors allege Eaton, 48, shot the three college students — Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Aliahmad — who had been visiting one of their families in Burlington for Thanksgiving, according to charging documents. The students attended high school together in the West Bank.
Eaton pleaded not guilty in November to three counts of attempted murder.
The three men, who were all 20 years old at the time of the shooting, were speaking a mix of Arabic and English and wearing keffiyehs, a traditional scarf that is a symbol of Palestinian identity, while walking on Prospect Street in Burlington on the evening of Nov. 25, according to court documents.
Eaton allegedly approached the three men silently from a porch and shot all three.
Awartani sustained the most serious physical injuries of the trio. A bullet that lodged in his spine rendered him paralyzed him from the chest down, according to his family.
The shooting became international news amidst the Israel-Hamas war, which is still raging in Gaza. Many activists in Burlington and Vermont called for the act to be prosecuted as a hate crime.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George has previously said her team did not have enough evidence to add that charge. The issue was not discussed in court on Friday.
In the packed courtroom, many onlookers wore keffiyehs.
Damian Taylor said he attended as a member of The Party for Socialism and Liberation “in solidarity and support for the victims and their families.”
“We wanted to show up and have our presence be known in the court for everyone to see that these people have our support,” Taylor said. “We’re willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that the person who perpetrated these hate crimes receives the justice that they deserve.”
Eaton has been held without bail since his arraignment on Nov. 27. He is currently lodged at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
Friday’s hearing was briefly delayed while the judge allowed Eaton to change into civilian attire rather than appear in court in prison garb. Defense attorneys had filed a motion earlier this week arguing that his appearance in prison clothing could potentially taint a jury pool and deny him a fair trial.
