Pro-Palestinian Professor Charged in Death of Pro-Israel Demonstrator

Authorities have not ruled out a hate crime, but current evidence supports charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery.

Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, a pro-Palestinian professor, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of Paul Kessler, a pro-Israel demonstrator.
The charges come after a physical altercation during protests over the Israel-Hamas war, which resulted in Kessler falling and hitting his head, causing fatal injuries.
Authorities have not ruled out a hate crime but state that current evidence only supports the charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery.
Alnaji was arrested at his home without incident and is scheduled to be arraigned.
If convicted, the charges could count as two strikes under California's three-strikes law, potentially leading to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years to life if Alnaji is charged with a third crime.