Raunaq Alam will spend 180 days in the Tarrant County Jail and 5 years on probation for vandalizing Uncommon Church in Euless.
He was arrested for allegedly spray painting “F*** Israel” and putting pro-Palestinian stickers on a church in Euless. Prosecutors also added a hate crime enhancement, which the jury rejected.
Alam was sentenced to 2 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine, but the jury opted to suspend the prison sentence in favor of 5 years of probation.
The announcement that Alam would not spend time in state prison, assuming he meets the conditions of probation, was met with gasps and sighs of relief from supporters who packed the courtroom. Alam turned to his attorney, Adwoa Asante, and embraced her, crying. Asante was seen holding back tears at the sentence, as well.
The terms of that probation include the 180 days in the county jail, something Asante tried to protest while the sentence was being read and then appeared to object to at the bench.
He’ll also pay $1,700 restitution to Uncommon Church, serve 180 hours of community service, submit to regular drug testing and is not allowed on church property as terms of his probation.
Alam, who was originally also charged with a hate crime for the vandalism, was sentenced by a Tarrant County jury after about an hour and a half of deliberation Friday afternoon.
The trial started Monday, bringing debate over hundreds of years of world history into a Tarrant County courtroom.
Alam’s attorney, Adwoa Asante, argued he is a pro-Palestinian activist who was condemning the actions of a foreign government, not attacking Jewish people. The church was flying an Israeli flag at the time of the vandalism.
Alam took the stand in his own defense Thursday and on Friday was questioned by the prosecution about drug use, possession and delivery. Prosecutor Lloyd Whelchel presented text messages between Alam and friends and had the 32-year-old read the texts to the jury.
In them, he talks about using hallucinogenic mushrooms and molly, or MDMA, at raves. In one, he told a friend he wanted to go to Iceland, eat a mushroom and watch the northern lights while high.
Alam, who is facing drug charges after Tarrant County prosecutors asked a grand jury twice to indict him, tried to plead his 5th amendment right against self-incrimination when asked about drugs. He was informed by the judge, prosecution and his own attorney that by taking the stand he waived that right.
To almost every question about the texts, Alam told prosecutors he couldn’t recall the conversation and on one occasion suggested someone else may have sent the texts from his phone without his knowledge.
It’s unclear whether the testimony given about drug use would be admissible in a future trial for possession of less than 1 gram of a controlled substance after prosecutors said investigators found illegal mushrooms in his vehicle.
Questioning on drug use continued for about an hour, over numerous objections from Asante questioning the relevance, Alam’s right against self-incrimination and cumulative evidence.
Before the prosecution’s questions about drugs, Asante asked him questions about his time out on bond and his compliance with the conditions of that bond. Alam said he lives with his parents, where he takes care of his father who is in poor health. He said he helps them with utility bills, buys their groceries for them and takes his father to doctor’s appointments.
Alam also told the jury he hadn’t violated the terms of his bond – something the prosecution contested, saying that he was still talking about buying, sharing and using drugs with friends while out on bond.
In closing statements, Asante told the jury that Alam ruined his life by vandalizing Uncommon Church, and that he knows that.
The parents of immigrants, Alam was “one generation separated from genocide,” she told the jury. He was the first in his family to go to college and get a degree and was making his parents proud.
“He was their bright, shining star and he [expletive] that up,” she said in her closing statement. “He did.”
She told them that even the prosecution’s witnesses agreed that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide in its war with other factions in the region including Palestinian groups. Alam, an activist, spent more than 700 days watching video footage of the carnage, he told the jurors.
The defense never denied the vandalism, though Asante said she disagreed with the jury’s estimation of the damages caused. At $1,700 dollars of damage, Alam was convicted of felony criminal mischief.
Asante said the defense was arguing against the hate crime enhancement, but that Alam doesn't deny responsibility for the vandalism.
Whelchel told the jury Alam’s righteous anger was a facade.
“He is self-righteous,” Whelchel told them in closing statements. “He has co-opted the story of his parents to clothe himself in their righteousness.”
He described Alam as a “punk who committed perjury” and who couldn’t be that worried about genocide if he was going to raves and using drugs, which he said was proven by the text messages.
Whelchel asked for the maximum sentence of two years in prison without a suspended sentence.
While initially relieved when they learned Alam would receive five years probation and no prison time, family and supporters expressed outrage when Judge Brian Bolton announced he would sentence Alam to about six months in the county jail as a term for his probation.
Alam has a right to appeal the verdict and sentence.
— Staff Writer Miranda Suarez contributed to this report.
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