RICHMOND, Va. — The man convicted of killing a young woman and injuring several others when he plowed his car through a white nationalist counterprotest in 2017 is asking the federal court for mercy.
James Alexander Fields Jr. said in a sentencing memo Friday that he does not deserve to serve a life sentence because of his age, scarring childhood, and mental illness.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to 29 federal charges stemming from his actions at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Prosecutors have agreed not to seek the death penalty. They said Fields expressed “no remorse” for his actions.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 28.