White Man Who Burned Down 3 Black Churches In Louisiana Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison
Holden James Matthews, the white man who burned down 3 historically Black churches in Louisiana last year, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $2.7 million in restitution to the three churches.
The 22-year-old arsonist, who is also the son of a sheriff’s deputy in St. Landry Parish, pleaded guilty in February to three counts of using fire to commit a felony and three counts of intentional damage to religious property. Due to 1996’s Church Arson Prevention Act, Matthews’ latter charges are classified as a hate crime.
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Prior to his sentencing, Matthews was facing 70 years behind bars for the March 2019 fire set to St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Louisiana. Less than a week later, he repeated his acts at the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas, Louisiana; and two days later, he set fire at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
Authorities linked Matthews to the three crimes after they discovered three gas cans used to burn on the churches was purchased at a local Walmart with his credit card. Once arrested, Matthews admitted to federal prosecutors that he set them ablaze due to the “religious character of these buildings.”
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