Loay Alnaji Gets 1-Year Jail Term for Killing 69-Year-Old Paul Kessler

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 2

Ventura County sentenced Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, to one year in county jail after he pleaded guilty in May to manslaughter in the 2023 death of pro-Israel demonstrator Paul Kessler, 69.
Prosecutors said the punishment was too light, arguing Alnaji should have received a longer state-prison sentence; he had initially faced up to four years before the plea deal reduced his expected term.
The case stemmed from an altercation at a California rally, where authorities said Alnaji struck Kessler in the head with a megaphone, causing him to fall backward, hit his head again and later die in hospital.
Kessler's widow described relentless grief in a victim-impact statement, while a friend at the rally called the sentence deeply frustrating and said the handling of the case raised questions about accountability.
The killing unfolded amid Israel-Hamas war tensions and broader concern over rising antisemitism in the United States.