Neo-Nazi who drove car into Charlottesville protesters pleads guilty to hate crimes


The man who drove his car into counterprotesters at a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes, The Washington Post reports.
James Fields was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison last year after killing Heather Heyer, a counterprotester at the Unite the Right rally in August 2017. He pleaded guilty to 29 out of 30 counts Wednesday in a federal court in Charlottesville. The deal was approved by Attorney General William Barr and spares Fields from a possible death sentence, the Post says.
Fields is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi and hit dozens of counterprotesters at the 2017 rally. He was convicted of first degree murder and nine other charges last December. A jury quickly sentenced the 21-year-old to 419 years in prison and ordered him to pay $480,000 in fines. Heyer's mother has gone on to lead a campaign against racism in her honor.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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