True Crime
A Burlington jury convicted Eaton on three attempted-murder counts. A rejected insanity defense is not a sentence.
A jury in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington, Vt., convicted Jason J. Eaton on three counts of attempted second-degree murder and rejected an insanity defense after about two hours. The conviction stands, sentencing is later, and the sentence has not yet been imposed.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
A guilty verdict on attempted second-degree murder ends the trial phase on those counts. A rejected insanity defense is part of that verdict, not a sentence. On Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, a Chittenden Superior Court jury in Burlington found Jason J. Eaton, 51, guilty of three counts of attempted second-degree murder after about two hours of deliberation. Sentencing is still ahead.
The shooting was Nov. 25, 2023, in Burlington. Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad (also spelled Tahseen Aliahmad in the State's Attorney statement) were walking while visiting family. Awartani was paralyzed. Burlington Police arrested Eaton on Nov. 26, 2023, and he was charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder. Those were the charges that went to the jury. Monday's verdict is the finding on those counts. It is not a sentence.
The trial in Chittenden Superior Court began Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, and ran six days. The jury deliberated about two hours and rejected his insanity defense. A rejected insanity defense is part of the guilty verdict. It does not impose a term. The State's Attorney said he faces up to life without parole, with a presumptive minimum of 20 years to serve on each count. That is the exposure the office stated. It is not a sentence the court has imposed. Judge John Pacht ordered him jailed pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. This reporting does not describe a hate-crime conviction. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Shop
Checkout is on Shopify. A few from the rack:
More on the desk
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer
Tuscaloosa police charged Daronte Collins with felony murder after a Saturday apartment-complex shooting.
WBRC's jail photo is captioned Daronte Collins and puts both men at 22. The Tuscaloosa Thread, citing Violent Crimes Unit Lt. Michael Hall, spells the charged man Deronte and puts both at 20. Patch and the Calhoun Journal also use Daronte and 20. A felony-murder count, which the Thread and the Journal describe as Alabama's rule when someone dies during a robbery, is not a finding that Collins fired the shot that killed Tyson. The Thread says the 25-year-old has not been charged.
Read the take
Reporting noted by WBRC, Tuscaloosa Thread, Calhoun Journal, and Tuscaloosa Patch.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer
High Point police charged Kymberli Bowden with first-degree murder in her 13-year-old daughter's death.
The Oct. 8 release is a new murder count on a case the department charged in 2025 as felony child abuse and concealment of death. It is not a trial. The murder-charge release says she remains in jail with no bond. WXII reported a violent-offense hold and a $1 million bond on the older counts. The 2025 release listed her age as 44. The murder-charge release, WXII, and FOX 35 Orlando list 45.
Read the take
Reporting noted by High Point Police Department, WXII, FOX 35 Orlando, and News & Observer.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer
Chicago police charged Chevazz Campbell in the stabbing death of CTA janitor Julian Mobley.
A detention hearing is the first court date. It is not a finding that Campbell stabbed anyone. The department's Sunday release says he robbed and fatally stabbed a 41-year-old man in the 2000 block of West Lake Street. ABC7 and CBS Chicago name that man as Julian Mobley and describe a fare dispute that turned into a stabbing. The department's charge list and CBS Chicago's shorter summary do not match count for count.
Read the take
Reporting noted by Chicago Police Department, ABC7 Chicago, and CBS Chicago.