BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The case of the Burlington man accused of shooting three Palestinian students in 2023 was back in court Friday.
Jason Eaton faces three counts of attempted murder after police say he fired a gun at three men walking past his Burlington home in November 2023. All three men were injured. Eaton has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Eaton’s lawyers have said they plan to use the insanity defense as their argument. However, Eaton says that’s not the case and has pushed for a new lawyer. That request was denied by the judge on Friday.
Eaton claims he was acting on behalf of a government agency, according to his lawyer, Margaret Jansch. “Mr. Eaton has informed us that he was acting under the instruction of the CIA, who then put him in contact with Mossad,” Jansch told the judge Friday.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George says there’s been no evidence provided to support Eaton’s claim. She says the three men were walking down the street doing nothing wrong when Eaton opened fire.
The judge is expected to issue a decision on several motions filed by Eaton and his attorneys at a later date.
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