‘There Are No Words’: Judge Sentences Professor Who Hit Protester Over Head With Megaphone, Killing Him

Interesting california, professor, sentenced admin July 1, 2026 0 Comments

‘There Are No Words’: Judge Sentences Professor Who Hit Protester Over Head With Megaphone, Killing Him

A California college professor who admitted to killing an elderly demonstrator with a megaphone will spend about a year in county jail, far less than the prison term prosecutors sought.

A judge sentenced Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, to one year in Ventura County Jail plus two years of felony probation, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office (VCDAO) June 30. He had pleaded guilty in May to felony involuntary manslaughter as well as felony battery causing serious bodily injury in the 2023 death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler. Alnaji further admitted that he personally caused great bodily harm and confessed to the two aggravating factors of his use of a weapon and the vulnerability of his victim, according to the DA’s office. Alnaji worked as a professor at Moorpark College at the time of the incident, KTLA5 reported.

The killing traces back to November 2023, when rival protesters gathered around a month after the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, the outlet reported. Kessler stood with the pro-Israel group while Alnaji was with the pro-Palestinian protesters. Prosecutors said a verbal dispute between Alnaji and Kessler turned physical and Alnaji brought the megaphone down on Kessler’s head. The 69-year-old dropped to the pavement and struck his head, and Alnaji did not flee, according to the DA’s office. He dialed 911 and talked to investigators. Kessler died from his injuries, and deputies arrested Alnaji days afterward, according to the VCDAO. (RELATED: Democrats Descend Into Circular Firing Squad Over Their Candidate Who Wants To Put ‘American Zionists’ In Prison)

Kessler was a retiree. His widow submitted a victim impact statement for the court to read ahead of the hearing.

“There are no words to describe the pain of losing a husband in such a sudden and violent way,” she wrote, according to the VCDAO. “The grief is relentless. The silence in our house, the absence of his voice, his companionship, his love and the future we had planned together are losses I carry with me every day.”

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko responded to the sentence. “Mr. Kessler lost his life in a violent attack that took him from his family and his wife of 43 years,” he said. “Given the circumstances of this case and the death that resulted, we believe a state prison commitment was the appropriate and just sentence.”

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan handed Alnaji the deal, The Forward reported. A trial had loomed just days away, with Alnaji facing up to four years behind bars. His lawyer, Ron Bamieh, told the Ventura County Star that Malan saw the case as “two old guys had a dispute and an accident happened.”

Jewish advocacy groups took aim at the sentencing. “It exposes major flaws in the criminal justice system that need to be addressed,” Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, told the Jewish News Syndicate, saying prosecutors did not pursue a hate crime charge.

The outlet identified Kessler as Jewish. Moorpark College placed Alnaji on administrative leave after officials took him into custody and he subsequently bailed himself out, according to the Forward.