Overview
- Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan on June 30 sentenced Loay Alnaji to one year in county jail, two years of felony probation, anger management classes, and about $10,000 in restitution; Alnaji will begin the jail term on Aug. 7 and has been out on bail.
- Alnaji pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and felony battery causing serious bodily injury, and admitted allegations that he personally inflicted great bodily harm and used a weapon.
- Prosecutors presented cell-phone video and testimony from the Ventura County medical examiner tying a megaphone strike and the victim’s fall to fatal blunt-force head trauma.
- The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office publicly objected to the sentence and had urged a state prison term to punish the killing and deter violent conduct at protests.
- The encounter occurred on Nov. 5, 2023 at a regular rally site where pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators faced off, and Kessler’s widow submitted a victim impact statement describing deep, ongoing loss.