Matthews, the suspected arsonist is the son of a St. Landry Parish deputy.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
April 10, 2019
Opelousas, Louisiana - On Thursday, federal agents arrested Holden Matthews, 21, in connection with the burning of three churches in the last two weeks in the area of St. Landry Parish. Matthews was processed at the St. Landry Parish jail around 5:00 p.m. and multiple felony charges are pending against the suspect.
Matthews allegedly started a fire at the St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre on March 26; a second fire at the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas on April 2 and a third fire at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas on April 4, according to feds. All the churches were declared totalled in fire damage.
The United States Attorney David C. Joseph from the Western District of Louisiana issued the following statement on Thursday, "A suspect has been identified in connection with the three church burnings in Opelousas, Louisiana, and is in state custody. The U.S. Attorney's Office, ATF, and FBI are working with state and local law enforcement and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the victims and those St. Landry Parish residents affected by these despicable acts. A special thanks to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, Louisiana State Fire Marshal, H. "Butch" Browning Jr., Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's Cybercrime Unit, the Louisiana State Police, and the Florida State Fire Marshal for working seamlessly with federal law enforcement agents in this investigation."
Update: The domestic White terrorist and arsonist suspect Holden Matthews is facing three state felony counts of simple arson and is facing 15 years in prison for each count, if convicted. Federal authorities are looking into whether to charge Matthews with a federal hate crime. Roy Matthews, a St. Landry Parish Deputy didn't know that his son had burned the churches and was shocked after being told that his son was the main arsonist suspect, but after being made aware that his son was the suspect, he helped federal, state and local authorities to arrest Matthews at a neutral location, where he was taken into custody without incident, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz.
Update: The domestic White terrorist and arsonist suspect Holden Matthews is facing three state felony counts of simple arson and is facing 15 years in prison for each count, if convicted. Federal authorities are looking into whether to charge Matthews with a federal hate crime. Roy Matthews, a St. Landry Parish Deputy didn't know that his son had burned the churches and was shocked after being told that his son was the main arsonist suspect, but after being made aware that his son was the suspect, he helped federal, state and local authorities to arrest Matthews at a neutral location, where he was taken into custody without incident, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz.
According to Sheriff Guidroz, 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. Any questions as to the potential motives of hate are continuing to be vetted by federal authorities.
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