James Fields, accused driver in Charlottesville attack, appears in courtOliver Laughland in Charlottesville, Virginia
James Alex Fields Jr is seen participating in the ‘Unite the Right’ rally before his arrest in Charlottesville. Fields, 20, addresses packed Virginia courthouse by video link from county jail in first public appearance since since being charged
The 20-year-old is accused of mowing down a crowd of anti-fascist protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, a local paralegal, and injuring 19 others after 48 hours of violence in Charlottesville that has again exposed America’s fractured race relations to the world.
Fields appeared before the circuit judge Robert Downer by video link from the county jail on a small screen, dressed in a black and white striped jumpsuit, his head bowed for much of the short arraignment hearing.
“Mr Fields, you are charged with a number of felonies, including murder and malicious wounding,” Downer told the inmate, who wore the undercut hairstyle synonymous with the “alt-right”.
Fields answered in short sentences as Downer ran quickly through the hearing. The court heard how the young man from Ohio earned a bi-monthly salary of $650 from employment in Ohio.
The US army has said that Fields signed up for basic training in August 2015 but was “released from active duty due to a failure to meet training standards” four months later.
Asked if he had any ties to the community in Charlottesville, Fields, staring into the camera, replied: “No, sir.”
The public defender’s office could not represent Fields, the court heard, as attorneys working in the office had relatives wounded in the attack. Fields was assigned a local attorney, Charles Webber, by the court and told he would remain in custody until a bond hearing later in the month.
...more at linkhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... der-charge