Computer science professor Loay Alnaji charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of Paul Kessler
Police interview pro-Palestinian protester Loay Alnaji on November 5 in the moments after he and Paul Kessler got into an altercation that led Kessler to strike his head on concrete, sustaining blunt force trauma that would later kill him. (VC News)
The pro-Palestinian protester initially jailed on $1 million bond in the death of pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler will face hate crime charges only if investigators can determine that hate speech accompanied the blow that caused the Jewish man to fall.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko told reporters at a Friday press conference that the county's Sheriff's Department had interviewed 60 witnesses, reviewed more than 600 videos and put forth 2,000 work hours into their investigation of Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50.
At his later arraignment in Ventura County Court, Alnaji pleaded not guilty - his bail amount was reduced to $50,000, and he was ordered to surrender his passports, Fox News Digital has learned.
"We have not ruled out a hate crime – an investigation into an alleged hate crime is ongoing," Nasarenko said at the earlier press conference. "We are looking for whether the act was accompanied by hate speech, specific words . . . that show hatred toward a specific group. We don't have that at the moment."
The DA's office was called in within 24 hours of Kessler's November 6 death, Nasarenko said, which happened hours after the 69-year-old was struck by Alnaji amid a dispute at conflicting pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests on the corners of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Boulevards in Westlake Village around 3:20 p.m. on November 5.
PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTER ARRESTED IN DEATH OF JEWISH MAN PAUL KESSLER
Pictured is a mugshot of Loay Alnaji, arrested at his Moorpark, California, home around 7:40 a.m. Thursday. The community college computer science professor faces involuntary manslaughter and battery charges in the death of pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler. (Ventura County Sheriff's Department)
The blow knocked Kessler down onto the concrete – with a megaphone, witnesses told Fox News Digital – and caused skull fractures, brain bruising and swelling that would later kill him.
"New physical and forensic evidence regarding the injuries to the left side of Paul Kessler's face" contributed to Alnaji's arrest on Thursday, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said.
PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTER 'TRIED TO BAIT' ELDERLY JEWISH MAN BEFORE FATAL ALTERCATION, WITNESS SAYS
Paul Kessler can be seen at the intersection of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Boulevards hours earlier, authorities say, Loay Alnaji delivered the blow that caused him to hit the ground and sustain fatal injuries. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
After he was taken into custody at his Moorpark home around 7:40 a.m. Thursday without incident, the district attorney said, Alnaji was charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury.
Investigators have "no evidence, no statements whatsoever that the defendant arrived at that intersection with the intention to kill." Therefore, no murder charge was pursued, Nasarenko said.
Loay Alnaji can be seen watching an ambulance cart Paul Kessler to a nearby hospital on November 5. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
Both charges that have been filed come with "special allegations that Alnaji personally inflicted great bodily injury."
This, Nasarenko said Tuesday, allows those charges to count toward California's "Three Strikes" law. Should Alnaji be charged with a third crime, he would face a mandatory 25 years to life behind bars.
But the Ventura County Sheriff's Department still has not procured evidence that could lead to a hate crime charge, despite the protests at the backdrop of the incident.
JEWISH MAN'S DEATH AT CALIFORNIA RALLY COMPLICATED BY CONFLICTING WITNESS ACCOUNTS
Loay Alnaji can be seen carrying the megaphone allegedly used to strike Paul Kessler. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
Investigators are still urging the public to come forward with any recollections or video of the November 5 incident in their investigation.
Nasarenko thanked both area Jewish and Muslim communities for their cooperation and patience amid the investigation.
ELDERLY JEWISH MAN DIED IN CONFRONTATION WITH PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTER AT CALIFORNIA RALLY
In footage provided to Fox News Digital, Loay Alnaji can be seen speaking to a police officer minutes after Paul Kessler hit the ground, sustaining the injury that would later kill him. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
A source with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department has told Fox News Digital that individuals across the country have repeatedly called the department urging swift action in the case.
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Nasarenko and Fryhoff said they spoke with Kessler's family for about 30 minutes following Alnaji's arrest. They shared that Kessler had worked in medical sales, taught sales at a number of satellite college campuses and had been married for 44 years.
"[Kessler's family] are mourning, they are grieving, and they are asking for privacy during this very difficult time," Nasarenko said.
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