John C. Vinson, Jr., 18-year-old adherent of Neo-Nazism and a known smearer of swastikas, was found guilty of a first degree murder here yesterday in the fatal shooting last September of Lewis M. Goldfein, 17, a Jewish honor student. First degree murder in Virginia is punishable by death or a prison sentence of from 20 years to life.
Vinson, whose father is a Washington, D. C. policeman, had been under mental confinement since his arrest for the crime, but psychiatrists found him able to distinguish right from wrong and, therefore, competent to stand trial. The psychiatrists’ testimony portrayed Vinson, who was fascinated by Nazism, as possessing a strong potential for hatred and violence.
Judge Albert V. Bryan, Jr., said Vinson’s actions were “deliberate and purposeful, ” noting that he had carefully armed himself with a revolver and extra ammunition before going to the Goldfein home.
Dr. William Enos, a pathologist who is also an expert in ballistics, testified that Goldfein was shot three times in what the doctor termed a deliberate, aimed series of shots. The judge, who will pronounce sentence next month, said Vinson’s mental condition “may mitigate punishment, but not the offense.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
