The son of a Louisiana sheriff's deputy is facing federal hate crime charges in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches earlier this year. Holden Matthews , 21, was charged in a six-count federal indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The indictment charges Matthews
NEW ORLEANS — The son of a Louisiana sheriff's deputy is facing federal hate crime charges in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches earlier this year.The indictment charges Matthews with three counts of"intentional damage to religious property," which the Department of Justice said is a hate crime under the U.S. Church Arson Prevention Act. He's also charged with three counts of"using fire to commit a felony.
Matthews already faced state charges in the church burnings. He has pleaded not guilty in the state case. His attorney, Quincy Cawthorne, declined comment on the latest charges when reached by telephone Wednesday. The fires set many people on edge in and around Opelousas, about 140 miles northwest of New Orleans.
A fragment of a charred gasoline can, surveillance video that captured what appeared to be his parents' truck in key locations, debit card records and cellphone tracking techniques led authorities to arrest Matthews in April .
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