Overview
- Alnaji, who changed his plea Tuesday, admitted to felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery with enhancements for weapon use and a vulnerable victim.
- He is set for sentencing on June 25, and the judge has signaled formal probation with up to 365 days in jail.
- Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko says he will seek a state prison term of up to four years, and Kessler’s family also opposes probation.
- Prosecutors say Alnaji struck Kessler with a megaphone during dueling protests in Thousand Oaks in November 2023, and the medical examiner tied the death to the blow and a fall to the pavement.
- At a 2025 hearing, prosecutors played Kessler’s cellphone video and called 18 witnesses, and Alnaji remains free on $50,000 bail pending sentencing.