ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. — A Louisiana man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for setting fire to three historically Black churches in St. Landry Parish, federal prosecutors said.
Holden Matthews, 23, pleaded guilty in February to intentionally setting fire to three Baptist churches over a 10-day period in March and April 2019, in part to raise his profile as a “Black Metal” musician and, in part, because of the “religious character” of the buildings, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
#ICYMI Holden Matthews, the arsonist who burned down three historically Black churches in St. Landry Parish last year, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison today. He’ll serve 23.5 yrs after the judge acknowledged his 18 mos. served. https://t.co/NaEVIhUIPi
— Katie Gagliano (@katie_gagliano) November 3, 2020
Matthews must also pay the churches he targeted $2.66 million in restitution, CNN reported, noting St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre will receive $590,246, Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas will receive $970,213.30 and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas will receive $1.1 million.
“These churches trace their origins to the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and, for generations, were a place for predominantly African American Christians to gather, pray, worship, and celebrate their faith. … The churches survived for nearly 150 years but did not survive this defendant’s warped act of hatred,” Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division said in the DOJ news release announcing the federal sentence.
All three structures were destroyed in the blazes.
NEW: Holden Matthews, the suspect charged with burning down three historically Black churches in Louisiana in 2019, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) November 2, 2020
As a pastor told me back then: “This man’s goal may have been to divide us, but he’s united us more than ever.” pic.twitter.com/xzwQclBDmV
According to his plea agreement, Matthews was mimicking a Norwegian “Black Metal” musician who “gained notoriety” in the 1990s by setting fires to churches in that country, NBC News reported.
According to the DOJ, Matthews pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act, as well as one count of using fire to commit a federal felony.
Cox Media Group