A California Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that there is enough evidence for Moorpark College professor/pro-Hamas agitator Loay Alnaji to go to trial on charges of manslaughter in the death of Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who was involved in a counterprotest on November 5, 2023. Alnaji was involved in a confrontation with Kessler on that Sunday afternoon when he allegedly hit Kessler in the face with a bullhorn, causing Kessler to fall and fracture his skull. Kessler died approximately seven hours after the altercation.
At the time of Kessler's death, Alnaji and his supporters claimed that Kessler was the aggressor and he "slipped." They also claimed Alnaji and his fellow agitators were simply peaceful protestors, but video RedState published at the time contradicts that. Kessler and his fellow pro-Israel counter-protesters were stationed across the street from the pro-Hamas mob, but the mob crossed to come to him and get in his face.
READ MORE: 'He Stalked Us' - Friend of Jewish Man Killed in California Says Pro-Hamas Group Targeted Them
In this video, taken as Kessler was being loaded into an ambulance, you can hear the pro-Hamas agitators' blatant antisemitism at the 0:45 mark: "Hitler didn't want you, Hitler didn't want you, Hitler didn't want you, Hitler should've smashed you." (Warning: Strong language)
Alnaji, who is a professor at both Moorpark College and California State University-Northridge, was arrested about a week later and charged with involuntary manslaughter related to Kessler's death.
A preliminary hearing was held on Tuesday and Wednesday that revealed more about Kessler's cause of death and the moments leading up to his fall.
One investigator testified about Alnaji's statement immediately after the incident:
Deputy Sheriff Briana Vazquez testified that she responded to the scene while Kessler was still lying on the concrete. She interviewed Alnaji, who was sitting nearby.
He told her that Kessler approached him on the street corner and that the two inched closer as they argued until they stood roughly 18 inches apart.
Kessler thrust his phone into Alnaji’s face, Alnaji told Vasquez, prompting him to swing his megaphone up from his hip in an attempt to knock the phone away. He made contact with the phone, sending it flying, Alnaji told Vasquez, and possibly with Kessler’s hand.
Other officers described their interviews with two witnesses – a pro-Israel protester who was standing across the street and a driver stopped at the intersection – who said they saw Alnaji swing before Kessler fell.
Alnaji's attorney, Ron Bamieh, suggested that eyewitnesses were "confused" about what they saw and at one point argued that his client wasn't near Kessler when he fell, and suggested through questioning that Kessler had a medical condition that made him fall.
Dr. Othon Mena, Assistant Chief Medical Examiner for Ventura County, conducted Kessler's autopsy and testified as to his findings. Mena found four exterior injuries to the left side of Kessler's face, along with a tear inside Kessler's mouth and damage to Kessler's tongue where he'd clenched his teeth, likely after being hit with the bullhorn. After examining the bullhorn and the grooved pattern of the rubber lip on the bottom of it, Mena concluded that the scrapes/lacerations to Kessler's left chin, left upper lip, and the outer corner of his left eye were caused by the bullhorn striking Kessler, and that the black eye noticeable on autopsy was either caused by the bullhorn strike or Kessler's subsequent fall.
Mena also testified that a 2-inch curvilinear tear on the back of Kessler's head and a skull fracture were caused by the assault or fall.
A crime lab technician testified that Kessler's DNA was found on three portions of the bullhorn: near the bottom, where a red/brown bloodstain was found, and in two sections of the bottom lip of the bullhorn. Alnaji's DNA was not found on the bullhorn; however, videos recovered from Kessler's iPhone show Aljaji, holding the bullhorn, angrily up in Kessler's face immediately prior to the assault/fall. Another video from Kessler's iPhone shows one of Alnaji's friends screaming at Kessler just before Alnaji came over and assaulted Kessler, and surveillance video from the gas station showed the process of the pro-Hamas agitators leaving their corner and coming to confront Kessler - simply because Kessler was holding an Israeli flag.
Another hearing is scheduled for June 10, at which time proposed trial dates will be discussed.
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