CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A man has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges in a deadly car attack on a crowd of protesters opposing a white nationalist rally. James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, made his initial appearance Thursday during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville after being charged last week with 30 federal crimes in the Aug. 12 attack that killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured dozens more. He also is charged under Virginia law with murder and other crimes. Fields wore a gray striped jumpsuit and sat quietly, giving brief answers to the judge’s questions. His attorneys made no request for bail. One of the federal charges Fields faces carries the death penalty, although prosecutors haven’t announced whether they will seek that punishment.
