A Vermont man, Jason Eaton, is on trial after shooting three Palestinian college students who were walking past his home in the days following Thanksgiving. Prosecutors say Eaton attacked the students without justification, while Eaton disputes the basis for his actions.
According to reporting from multiple outlets, Eaton tells the court that he was acting on instructions from U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. He alleges that the CIA and Mossad communicated with him, including via FM radio transmissions, and that the messages directed him to carry out the attack. Eaton also claims a religious motivation, saying God was commanding him to protect his Jewish neighbors.
The outlets focus on the defendant’s claims of external and divine instruction, while the reporting overall centers on the same core facts: Eaton’s trial, the three Palestinian victims, and the account he presents for why he shot them. The coverage does not indicate an agreed-upon confirmation of those alleged communications, and the case proceeds on the evidentiary record presented in court.
