White supremacist faces 10 years in prison after conviction for beating black protester in Charlottesville

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 2 May 2018

On Tuesday, a jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted white supremacist Jacob Scott Goodwin of malicious wounding for the brutal beating of a black counterprotester at last summer's "Unite the Right" white nationalist rally. The jurors recommended that Goodwin, 23, get handed 10 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on Aug. 23, with an option to suspend some of that time plus a $20,000 fine. Goodwin and four other white nationalists beat DeAndre Harris, 20, in a parking garage, leaving Harris with a spinal injury, broken arm, and serious head lacerations.

In March, a separate jury acquitted Harris of misdemeanor assault and battery charges filed by another white supremacist who participated in the beating, Harold Crews. Three other alleged Harris assailants — Alex Michael Ramos, Daniel Borden, and Tyler Watkins Davis — also face trial through the summer. In court, Goodwin testified that he shoved Harris down and kicked him when he tried to get up in self-defense, explaining that he was scared and "trying to neutralize a threat." Prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony noted that Goodwin "was outfitted for battle" with "large goggles, boots. He's got a full body shield."

Police arrested Goodwin about two months after the Charlottesville rally, after columnist Shuan King and other Black Lives Matters supporters tracked him down by analyzing the footage of the beating. He wore neo-Nazi symbols to the trial. King celebrated the conviction on Twitter.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.