A Ventura County man has been sentenced to a year in jail for the death of a protester fatally injured during a demonstration in Thousand Oaks.
Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli demonstrators were holding conflicting rallies in November of 2023 on Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.
Loay Alnaji was using a megaphone, and Paul Kessler was standing in front of him. Prosecutors say Alnaji hit Kessler in the head with the megaphone. The 69-year-old man fell to the ground and hit his head. Alnaji called 911. But Kessler died from his injuries.
Alnaji, who was a Moorpark College professor, was arrested following an investigation.
In May, he entered guilty pleas to felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery causing serious injury charges.
Alnaji was sentenced to one year in the Ventura County Jail and two years of felony probation. Prosecutors had sought a state prison sentence for the Moorpark man.
