Vermont Man Found Guilty of Attempted Murder in Student Shooting

WHO:

CNN - Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid are now 23 years old.

CNN - Jason Eaton, 51, was convicted of attempted murder.

CNN - Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid are the three Palestinian college students involved.

CNN - Joshua O’Hara is Eaton's defense lawyer.

CNN - Sally Adams is the prosecutor in the case.

WHAT:

CNN - Eaton's defense claimed he believed he was receiving messages from the CIA via FM radio, which initially were encouraging but later turned dark, insisting he "has to go out and shoot somebody."

CNN - The shooting occurred a few days after Thanksgiving.

CNN - The jury deliberated for several hours after a weeklong trial that included testimony from psychiatric experts called by both the defense and prosecution.

CNN - Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid were all 20 years old at the time of the shooting.

CNN - Jacob Pyne testified he heard four to six gunshots followed by footsteps going up the stairs of the apartment house.

CNN - Eaton's defense claimed he was hearing messages from the CIA via FM radio, which initially were encouraging but later turned dark, insisting he "has to go out and shoot somebody."

CNN - A jury convicted Jason Eaton of attempted murder.

CNN - Eaton faces up to life in prison for the November 2023 attack.

CNN - The shooting left Hisham Awartani paralyzed from the waist down and injured his friends.

CNN - The jury deliberated for several hours after a weeklong trial.

CNN - Eaton was ordered jailed pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.

CNN - Authorities found three shotguns and a Ruger .380-caliber handgun in Eaton's apartment.

WHERE:

CNN - The shooting occurred near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont, specifically as the three students were walking near Eaton's home.

CNN - The shooting occurred near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont.

CNN - The three students grew up in Ramallah, West Bank, before moving to the U.S. for college.

WHEN:

CNN - The shooting took place in November 2023.

CNN - The jury reached its verdict on a Monday.

WHY:

CNN - Eaton claimed he was acting on orders from the CIA and Mossad, which was part of his insanity defense.

CNN - Eaton's lawyers argued he was suffering from a delusional, psychotic disorder after losing his job two weeks before the shooting.

HOW:

CNN - Awartani was shot in the chest, causing paraplegia due to the bullet ricocheting off his scapula. Aliahmad was struck in the collarbone, and Abdalhamid was shot in the right buttock.

CNN - Eaton used a handgun to shoot at the three students as they walked near his home.

CNN - Eaton had purchased the Ruger .380-caliber handgun seven months prior to the shooting from a Vermont gun store.

CNN - Witness Jacob Pyne testified he heard four to six gunshots followed by footsteps.

(UPDATED September 21, 2026 21:59 UTC)

In a dramatic trial, Eaton's defense argued that he believed he was receiving messages from the CIA via FM radio, which started off encouraging but took a dark turn, compelling him to "go out and shoot somebody." The jury deliberated for several hours after a weeklong trial that featured testimony from psychiatric experts, with the shooting occurring just a few days after Thanksgiving and involving three 20-year-olds: Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid. Awartani suffered a gunshot wound to the chest that resulted in paraplegia, while Aliahmad was hit in the collarbone and Abdalhamid was shot in the right buttock.

(UPDATED September 21, 2026 19:59 UTC)

In a tragic incident near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont, three students, Awartani, Aliahmad, and Abdalhamid, who are now 23 years old, were shot while walking near the home of the alleged shooter, Eaton. Eaton's defense claims he was receiving messages from the CIA through FM radio, which started as encouraging but later turned sinister, urging him to "go out and shoot somebody." Awartani suffered a chest wound that resulted in paraplegia, while Aliahmad was hit in the collarbone and Abdalhamid was shot in the right buttock.

(UPDATED September 21, 2026 19:02 UTC)

Jason Eaton has been convicted of attempted murder after a jury deliberated for several hours following a weeklong trial. The shooting, which took place near the University of Vermont campus in November 2023, left Hisham Awartani paralyzed from the waist down and injured his friends, leading to Eaton facing up to life in prison. Authorities discovered three shotguns and a Ruger .380-caliber handgun in Eaton's apartment, which he had purchased seven months prior to the incident.