Murder trial of man accused of killing Heather Heyer in Charlottesville set to begin

Chris Mayhew | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Mom of Charlottesville rally victim speaks out a year later Susan Bro reflects on the death of her daughter who was hit by a car during a peaceful anti-racist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly one year ago.

CINCINNATI – The Virginia murder trial of a white nationalist rally participant accused of killing a woman during a counterprotest in Charlottesville in 2017, is scheduled to begin Monday.

James Alex Fields Jr., 21, of Boone County, Kentucky, also is charged with federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court that could end up as a death penalty case.

Prosecutors say Fields killed one and injured dozens when he drove his car into a crowd of people protesting an Aug. 12, 2017, white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Heather Heyer, 32, of Charlottesville was killed.

Fields was photographed carrying a shield with a version of the white supremacist group Vanguard America's logo earlier in the day at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. He was part of a group of men in the photo wearing the organization's uniform of khaki pants and white short-sleeve collared shirts. Vanguard America denied Fields was part of the group, according to an article from The Tennessean, which like The Cincinnati Enquirer, is a part of the USA TODAY Network.

Fields faces 10 charges and a maximum of a life sentence in Virginia.

The jury trial in Charlottesville Circuit Court is scheduled to last for 18 days through Dec. 13, according to court records.

Aug. 30: Change of venue from Charlottesville denied for Heather Heyer's accused killer

Aug. 9: 'We denounce hate': Washington, D.C., braces for 'Unite the Right' rally

Charges in Virginia:

► First-degree murder (maximum sentence of life in prison), according to Virginia law.

► Five charges of malicious wounding (each carries a penalty to up to life in prison).

► Failure to stop accident/felony death (maximum sentence of 40 years).

► Three charges of malicious assault/victim injured (each carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison).

Federal charges

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Fields, a resident of Maumee, Ohio, on 30 charges in June.

Prior to leaving for Charlottesville, Fields texted a relative a photo of Adolf Hitler stating, "We're not the ones who need to be careful," according to the federal indictment quoted in a June Enquirer article.

Aug. 9: One year after Charlottesville tragedy, Heather Heyer's mom talks about daughter's death

July 5: Man accused of running down protesters with car at white supremacist rally pleads not guilty to hate crimes

The first charge of Hate Crime Act Resulting in Death in the killing of Heyer is life in prison, according to federal statutes.

The maximum sentence is death for the charge of bias-motivated interference with federally protected activity resulting in death.

Each of the 28 Hate Crime Act Involving Attempt To Kill charges carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Fields lived in a Florence, Kentucky, condominium with his mother.

Police responded nine times from November 2010 through February 2013 to the condominium, according to records. Fields' mother, Sandra Bloom, called at least twice to report her son was attacking or threatening her.

Follow Chris Mayhew on Twitter: @reportermayhew

June 27: Driver accused of plowing into crowd at Charlottesville rally charged with federal hate crimes

December 2017: Alleged reckless driver charged with first-degree murder in Charlottesville car attack