{"id":52208,"date":"2023-02-17T16:53:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T00:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=52208"},"modified":"2023-02-18T21:18:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T05:18:48","slug":"montana-man-convicted-of-federal-hate-crimes-against-lesbian-and-gay-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=52208","title":{"rendered":"Montana Man Convicted of Federal Hate Crimes Against Lesbian and Gay People"},"content":{"rendered":"

MONTANA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"A federal jury convicted a Montana man of hate and firearms crimes for firing an AK-style assault rifle at the residence of a woman, who identified as lesbian and was home at the time, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After a four-day trial, the jury found John Russell Howald, 46, of Basin, Montana, guilty of hate crime acts. He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm. Howald is facing up to life in prison when he is sentenced on June 15, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis defendant is being held accountable for attempting to violently eliminate the entire LGBTQ community in a small Montana town,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division. \u201cThis hate crime and violent campaign targeting the LGBTQ community is a reminder of the epidemic of hate violence targeting people based on their sexual orientation. All people have the right to feel safe in their homes and communities, regardless of who they love.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Adding, “the Civil Rights Division will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to safeguard the civil rights of LGBTQ people affected by hate violence, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure justice for victims of bias-motivated crimes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe victim in this case was targeted by the defendant for no other reason than her sexual orientation when he fired bullets at her home while she was inside of it. There will be zero tolerance by our office in prosecuting those who commit hate crimes against our fellow Montanans, as no one should have to live in fear of potentially deadly violence simply because of whom they love,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Jess Laslovich for the District of Montana.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to court documents and statements in court, on March 22, 2020, Howald went on a self-described mission to rid the town of Basin of its lesbian and gay community. <\/span><\/p>\n

Armed with three rifles and two pistols, and knowing that the victim was identified as a lesbian, Howald approached her residence on foot and fired an AK-style assault rifle at her property. <\/span><\/p>\n

Several rounds went through the victim\u2019s fence, and rounds hit her yard and porch. <\/span><\/p>\n

One round traveled through a home wall, bounced off the kitchen ceiling, and lodged in a wall in the room. The victim was at home at the time but was not struck.<\/span><\/p>\n

After firing at the victim\u2019s house, the government alleged, Howald walked down the street toward other houses occupied by people who identify and are known locally as gay or lesbian. <\/span><\/p>\n

A church service had just finished and individuals leaving church saw Howald walking on street, recognized him and approached. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"brown<\/p>\n

The individuals heard Howald talk about his mission of killing lesbian and gay people in town and saw his weapons. They approached and tried to talk Howald down. One of those people, a pastor, unknowingly had left on a recording device that he used for his sermons. <\/span><\/p>\n

The device recorded about 10 minutes of his interaction with Howald until Howald demanded that the pastor walk away. The recording captured Howald making statements that he might have killed a lesbian and hoped he had, and that he would get rid of lesbians and queers in Basin. <\/span><\/p>\n

The recording also captured Howald firing off several more rounds during his interaction with these individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Responding to a 911 call to the scene, a Jefferson County Sheriff\u2019s deputy ordered Howald to put down his guns. <\/span><\/p>\n

Howald refused, pointed a rifle at the deputy and fled on foot, firing at least one more shot as he went. Sheriff\u2019s officers arrested Howald the next day and found that he had a knife and loaded pistol on his person and an AR-style rifle and revolver in his car. <\/span><\/p>\n

During a search of his camper, officers found an AK-style rifle, a hunting rifle and ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\n

The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, ATF and Jefferson County Sheriff\u2019s Office investigated the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut for the District of Montana and Trial Attorney Eric N. Peffley of the Civil Rights Division\u2019s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MONTANA A federal jury convicted a Montana man of hate and firearms crimes for firing an AK-style assault rifle at the residence of a woman, who identified as lesbian and was home…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court"],"yoast_head":"\nMontana Man Convicted of Federal Hate Crimes Against Lesbian and Gay People<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MONTANA A federal jury convicted a Montana man of hate and firearms crimes for firing an AK-style assault rifle at the residence of a woman, who\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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