A Southern California college professor will face trial for involuntary manslaughter and assault over the death of a Jewish counter-protester, as determined by Ventura Superior Court Judge Ryan Wright after a two-day preliminary hearing. Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, a 51-year-old computer science professor at Moorpark College, is accused of fatally striking Paul Kessler with a megaphone during a demonstration in Thousand Oaks last November, according to KTLA.
Accused of engaging in the fatal skirmish during a heated exchange at a pro-Palestinian rally, Alnaji now faces two felony charges: involuntary manslaughter and battery with serious bodily injury, plus the special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily harm on counts. He has since posted a $50,000 bail, with his attorney, Ron Bamieh, not immediately responding to emails and phone messages for comment, as stated by KTLA.
The evidence presented during the hearing included DNA analysis of the blood found on the megaphone, matched to Kessler, and audio-visual content from the victim’s cell phone. These contributed to Judge Wright's decision, with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office adding that 18 witnesses testified in the case. The medical examiner, Dr. Othon Mena, confirmed that Kessler's death was due to blunt-force trauma from the megaphone strike and his subsequent fall to the ground.
As the District Attorney's Office sifts through Alnaji’s messages and social media postings, there has been no evidence found of a hate crime or antisemitic remarks attributed to him during the rally. As the probe continues, Alnaji, who posted bail, could face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted on all charges. His arraignment is scheduled for June 10, as noted by Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
