The trial of Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, a college professor accused of killing a 69-year-old Jewish man during dueling Israel-related protests in Southern California, is set to begin Feb. 18, placing renewed focus on the volatile political climate that followed Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Alnaji, 52, has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter by an unlawful act, in the death of Paul Kessler. The case will be heard in Ventura County Superior Court.

Prosecutors allege that a confrontation between Alnaji and Kessler at nearby pro-Israel and anti-Israel rallies in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 5, 2023, escalated into a fatal encounter. Alnaji, a computer science professor at Moorpark College, was among anti-Israel demonstrators, while Kessler stood with a smaller group of pro-Israel supporters.

According to the district attorney’s office, Alnaji struck Kessler with a megaphone during the dispute. The county medical examiner determined that Kessler died from blunt force trauma caused by the blow and from hitting his head on the pavement.

Alnaji was released on $50,000 bail and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Defense attorney Ron Bamieh has argued that the incident was accidental and triggered by provocation. In a statement in October 2025, Bamieh said Kessler repeatedly held a cellphone close to his client’s face while shouting “Baby killer.”

“My client, with his left hand, swiped at the cell phone to knock it out of his face,” Bamieh said. “The bullhorn hit Mr. Kessler… and then he collapsed.”

Bamieh has also pointed to Kessler’s medical history, saying the victim had previously suffered from a brain tumor that affected his balance, raising the possibility that he fell independently of the altercation.

Prosecutors dispute that characterization, maintaining that the physical confrontation directly led to Kessler’s death.

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