Overview
- He pleaded guilty in Boulder District Court to first-degree murder and other charges for the firebombing of a pro‑Israel gathering that killed one person and injured more than a dozen.
- Prosecutors said he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators on Pearl Street Mall, and investigators reported he yelled “Free Palestine!” during the attack.
- Karen Diamond, 82, later died from her injuries, and the plea sets up a state sentence of life without parole plus at least 400 years, according to a defense filing.
- He also faces 12 federal hate-crime counts, with prosecutors alleging he targeted people for their perceived ties to Israel, while his lawyers argue his motive was opposition to Zionism, a political belief not covered by hate-crime law.
- Federal prosecutors are weighing whether to seek the death penalty, and his attorneys say he has offered to plead to life as his ex‑wife and five children fight deportation after months in ICE detention as potential witnesses.