Man sentenced for 2023 death at a Free Palestine rally in Thousand Oaks - BERITAJA

A Moorpark man who pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter charges successful the decease of a protester astatine a Free Palestine objection successful 2023 was sentenced to 1 twelvemonth successful jailhouse and 2 years of probation, according to the Ventura County territory attorney’s office.

The charges against Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, of Moorpark stemmed from a November 2023 protestation successful Thousand Oaks wherever Alnaji was accused of hitting Paul Kessler connected the caput pinch a megaphone, causing him to autumn and onslaught his caput connected the pavement.

Alnaji will statesman serving his one-year situation word Aug. 7 and will get jail-time in installments for 2 days antecedently served, authorities said.

The Ventura County territory attorney’s agency had called for a authorities situation condemnation successful the lawsuit “and objected to the court’s determination to enforce 1 twelvemonth of jailhouse and probation,” according to a connection from the territory attorney’s office.

During the sentencing hearing, unfortunate effect statements were read, including 1 from Kessler’s widow.

“There are nary words to picture the symptom of losing a hubby successful specified a abrupt and convulsive way,” his widow wrote. Her quote was included successful the territory attorney’s statement, but she was not identified.

In May, Alnaji pleaded blameworthy to charges of felony, involuntary manslaughter and felony artillery causing superior bodily injury. He besides admitted to “a typical allegation that he personally inflicted awesome bodily injury, on pinch aggravating factors that he utilized a limb and that the unfortunate was peculiarly vulnerable,” authorities said.

The incident began erstwhile Alnaji joined a rally connected the area of Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards successful support of Palestinians, while Kessler had attended a antagonistic protestation successful support of Israel, The Times reported.

According to prosecutors, Alnaji escalated a verbal altercation to a beingness conflict pinch Kessler. After Kessler fell to the ground. Alnaji remained astatine the scene, called emergency services and provided investigators pinch a statement, the territory attorney’s agency said.

Kessler, 69, died from his injuries the adjacent day. Alnaji was taken into custody days later and charged successful relationship pinch Kessler’s death, authorities said.

“Mr. Kessler mislaid his life successful a convulsive onslaught that took him from his family and his woman of 43 years,” said Dist. Atty. Erik Nasarenko. “Given the circumstances of this lawsuit and the decease that resulted, we judge a authorities situation committedness was the due and conscionable sentence.”

Times unit writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.