Man who drove car into Charlottesville protesters gets second life sentence

July 15 (UPI) -- An Ohio man received a second life sentence Monday for driving his car into a crowd full of counterprotesters during a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

James Alex Fields Jr., 22, must serve life in prison plus 419 years for the incident, which killed Heather Heyer and injured 35 people. Judge Richard Moore handed down the sentence seven months after a jury recommended the punishment for first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding and one count of hit-and-run.

He must also pay $480,000 in fines.

It comes two weeks after a federal jury also sentenced Fields to life in prison on 29 counts of hate crimes.

Fields, a self-avowed white supremacist, said he drove his car into the crowd with the intention of killing people protesting against a white supremacist rally Aug. 12, 2017.

In June, Heyer's mother and father said they forgave Fields.

"I would like to see him find meds that help heal his mind," mother Susan Bro said. "I would like to see him grow from a white supremacist into someone who can help bring others away from white supremacy."

"I want the court and Mr. Fields to know that after everything we've heard today that I forgive you," father Mark Heyer said.