Holden Matthews, the suspect named in relation to the burnings of three historically Black churches in Louisiana, is reportedly the son of the sheriff’s deputy.
The state fire marshal said Thursday that Holden, 21, may have been influenced by “black metal” music and “its associated history with church burnings” when the white male committed the domestic terrorist attacks. “I don’t know what this young man’s motive was, I don’t know what was in his heart, but I can say it cannot be justified or rationalized,” Edwards told reporters. “These were evil acts. But let me be clear about this; hate is not a Louisiana value.”
According to CNN, Matthews has been charged with three counts of simple arson on a religious building, State Fire Marshal Butch Browning said. Each charge holds a maximum penalty of 15 years. “We can now confirm all three of these fires are intentionally set, and all three of these fires are related,” Browning said. Police say they are still looking into the motive of the fires, and federal officials are investigating the possibility of the incident being a hate crime.
“Information investigators have uncovered, and that Matthews has offered, suggests a possible connection with a genre of music called ‘black metal’ and its associated history with church burnings in other parts of the world, which have been documented in movies and books,” Browning said. “Any questions as to the potential motives of hate are continuing to be vetted by federal authorities.” Matthews who is the son of a local sheriff’s deputy was reportedly “shocked and hurt” after finding out his son was a suspect in the fires.
The three fires at three different churches all happened within a week of one another. The first was on March 26, followed by Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas on April 2 and, two days later, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in the same town. The FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are assisting in the investigations, CNN reports. The NAACP has labeled the fires “domestic terrorism,” adding that the “spike in church burnings in Southern states is a reflection of the emboldened racial rhetoric and tension spreading across the country.”
