Church arson suspect charged with hate crimes

Prosecutors on Monday filed new hate crimes charges against a 21-year-old accused of torching three historic African American churches in Louisiana. Holden Matthews pleaded not guilty Monday to starting the church fires, which occurred over several days starting March 26 in and around Opelousas, La. Matthews’ father is a local sheriff’s deputy who aided in the arrest after learning his son was a suspect, officials said.

Prosecutors said Matthews had ample evidence on his cellphone linking him to the crimes, including photos of the fires in their early stages. He belongs to a “black metal” band, a genre of music with Satanic, anti-Christian themes that has been linked to church burnings in the past. The new charges against Matthews fall under state hate crime law, but federal prosecutors are also considering charging him with federal hate crimes, according to Louisiana Fire Marshal Butch Browning.