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Moorpark Man Sentenced to One Year in Jail for 2023 Megaphone Death

The county judge imposed a probation-heavy term that prosecutors say is too lenient, highlighting disputes over punishment for violent clashes at political rallies.

Marcus, who declined to share his last name, places flowers that he bought at the site where Paul Kessler was killed during an altercation at a rally about Israel, Nov. 7, 2023. (Jacob Gurvis)
Community members prepare to address the media at a growing memorial for Paul Kessler in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on November 7, 2023.
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Overview

  • The sentencing hearing on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 ended a plea deal in which Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji admitted to felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery for the death of Paul Kessler.
  • Prosecutors say Alnaji struck 69-year-old Kessler in the head with a megaphone during dueling Israel–Palestine demonstrations on Nov. 5, 2023, and the victim died the next day from blunt force head trauma, according to the county medical examiner.
  • Judge Derek Malan ordered one year in Ventura County Jail, two years of felony probation, anger management, about $10,000 restitution, and scheduled Alnaji to begin serving the jail term on Aug. 7 with two days’ credit already applied.
  • The Ventura County District Attorney formally objected to the sentence and had sought a state prison term, saying the killing merited a harsher punishment and greater deterrence.
  • The case has prompted local debate over protest safety, charging choices such as the absence of a publicly filed hate‑crime enhancement, and employer and campus responses after Moorpark College placed Alnaji on administrative leave.