Accused Church Arsonist in Louisiana Pleads Guilty
Holden Matthews, the white son of a sheriff’s deputy who is accused of setting fires to three predominantly black churches last year, pleaded guilty Monday in state and federal court.
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Guilty Plea to Federal Charges in Black Church Burnings
The aspiring black metal musician who was arrested in a series of fires set at African American churches in Louisiana last spring pleaded guilty Monday to federal and state criminal charges.
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Suspect in Hawaii Police Killings Called Unhinged
A Hawaii handyman with a history of run-ins with police and neighbors faced eviction when he stabbed a woman and killed two officers before the house he and two women were believed to be in burned, authorities and neighbors said Monday.
Read moreArson
Robert Doggart was improperly convicted of solicitation to commit federal arson for his planned attack on a mosque in New York because the religious building was not used in interstate commerce, as required by the underlying arson statute, the Sixth Circuit ruled. From his home in Tennessee, Doggart plotted to burn down the mosque, plans he shared with an FBI confidential informant.
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Exonerated Woman Seeks Damages for Arson Conviction
A woman exonerated of an arson conviction claims in court that the Wisconsin sheriff’s office that handled the case and pushed for her prosecution denied her due process throughout the investigation and subsequent trial.
Read moreMan Screaming ‘You Die!’ Kills Dozens at Anime Studio
A man screaming “You die!” burst into an animation production studio in Kyoto, Japan, and set it on fire early Thursday, authorities said, killing 13 people and leaving more than 10 others presumed dead.
Read moreJudge Blocks Grazing Permits for Pardoned Arsonists
A father and son can’t graze their cattle on public land permits granted after Trump pardoned them on arson convictions, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Read moreCompetency Trial Starts for Man Accused of Attacks on Homeless
The man accused of killing homeless San Diegans in a 2016 murder spree appeared in San Diego Superior Court Monday for a competency trial that will also determine whether he can assist in the defense of his case.
Read moreGrazing Permit for Pardoned Arsonists Sparks Lawsuit
Environmental groups claim the Bureau of Land Management violated its own rules by renewing grazing permits for Dwight and Steven Hammond, whose prison sentences for arson on public land was cited by Ammon Bundy as motivation for launching the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Read moreGhost Ship Witness Rejects Defense’s Arson Claims
A witness working the door the night of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people in Oakland two and a half years ago rejected during his testimony in state court Tuesday defense attorneys’ suggestion that the fire was caused by people throwing Molotov cocktails.
Read moreDefense in Ghost Ship Trial Says Fire Was Work of Arsonists
An attorney for one of the men blamed for the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people in 2016 told an Oakland state court jury Wednesday the fire was an act of arson that may have been set by people throwing bottles of gasoline.
Read moreHate Crime Charges Lodged Against Church Arson Suspect
Charges against the white Louisianan accused of burning three black churches to the ground were upgraded by prosecutors during an arraignment and bail hearing Monday to include three counts of state-level hate crimes.
Read moreSuspect in Louisiana Black Church Fires to Appear in Court
A white Louisiana man accused of burning three century-old historic black churches to the ground had his first day in court Monday for a hearing on a petition from state prosecutors to deny bail.
Read moreSon of Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested After 3 Black Church Fires
Holden Matthews, the white, 21-year-old son of a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy, was behind bars Thursday, accused of torching three century old African American churches during a 10-day period in and around Opelousas. The city of 16,000 people was set on edge by blazes, which evoked memories of civil rights terrorism.
Read moreCivil Rights Center Finds ‘White Power’ Symbol After Arson
It’s the organization that taught the Civil Rights movement to sing “We Shall Overcome.” Leaders in the Civil Rights movement attended its leadership schools. And now, the staff of The Highlander Research and Education Center say arson reduced its main building in New Market, Tennessee, to a pile of ash and blackened frames over the weekend.
Read moreEast Bay Residents Charged With Firebombing Attorneys
Two men were charged with firebombing attorneys who opposed them in civil lawsuits pertaining to shady real estate deals.
Read moreApartment Inferno Kills 10; Deadliest Paris Fire Since 2005
Paris’ deadliest fire in over a decade claimed at least 10 lives Tuesday, sending fleeing residents to the roof and clambering across balconies as flames rapidly engulfed their nine-story apartment building.
Read moreMan Gets 5 Years for Starting Joshua Tree Park Fire
A federal judge on Monday sentenced a man who used a lighter to start a fire in Joshua Tree National Park this year to five years in federal prison.
Read moreTexas Man Found Guilty of Setting Fire to Mosque
A South Texas man who derisively called Muslims “towelheads” faces up to 40 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him Monday for setting a mosque on fire.
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