Man guilty in Louisiana church fires
LAFAYETTE, La. -- An aspiring 'black metal' musician who was arrested in a series of fires set at black churches in Louisiana last spring pleaded guilty Monday to four federal criminal counts.
Holden Matthews pleaded guilty to three counts of intentional damage to religious property, a federal hate crime, in federal court in Lafayette, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He also pleaded to one count of using fire to commit a felony.
Matthews, 21 at the time of his arrest last year, is white and the destruction of the three historic black churches in St. Landry Parish evoked memories of civil rights-era terrorism.
The indictment said the fires were set "because of the religious character" of the properties. Race is not mentioned as a factor in the charges.
Three churches were burned in a span of 10 days, beginning in late March, in an area roughly 140 miles west of New Orleans in St. Landry Parish. Matthews' father is a parish sheriff's deputy. The churches were empty at the time of the fires, and no one was injured.
Investigators said Matthews had shown interest in "black metal," an extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music. His self-promotion included taking pictures and videos of two of the burning churches and posting them to Facebook, the release said.
Sentencing is set for May 22. Matthews faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Matthews later pleaded guilty in state court in St. Landry Parish to six related state charges and sentencing was set for May 26, Assistant District Attorney Don Richard said.
Plotted terror in Nevada, suspect admits
LAS VEGAS -- A self-described white supremacist Monday pleaded guilty to collecting materials and planning to bomb a synagogue or office of the Anti-Defamation League in Law Vegas, or to shoot people at a fast food restaurant or a bar catering to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers.
Conor Climo, 24, stood rigidly in yellow jail scrubs, answering, "Yes, your honor," while U.S. District Judge James Mahan questioned him about encrypted internet chats with an FBI informant and his membership in Feuerkrieg Division, an offshoot of a U.S.-based neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division.
Climo said he possessed "materials required to make a destructive device, your honor." He pleaded guilty to felony possession of an unregistered firearm.
Climo, a former security guard, was arrested Aug. 8 and remains in federal custody. He acknowledged Monday that he now takes prescription medications but did not specify his diagnosis.
Climo could face between two and three years behind bars at sentencing May 14. He might have faced up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine if convicted at trial. His court-appointed public defender, Paul Riddle, declined to comment.
U.S. birth weights falling, data show
Babies born in the United States weigh less than they used to, with the average birth weight dropping 2.4 ounces (0.15 pounds) -- from 7.31 pounds to 7.16 pounds -- from 1990 to 2013, according to a new analysis using data from more than 23 million births.
In that time, births were also less likely to occur after the 40th week of pregnancy, often considered the official due date (18% in 2013 vs. 29% in 1990) and more likely to occur in weeks 37 to 39 (49% in 2013 vs. 38% in 1990).
Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder who analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed the drop in birth weight primarily to shorter pregnancies and earlier births because of increased scheduling of cesarean sections and induced labor before week 40.
The percentage of births by C-section grew from 25% in 1990 to 31% in 2013, and deliveries that involved induced labor went from 12% to 29%.
The lower average birth weight still leaves the average baby well above the 5 pounds 8 ounces that is considered a low birth weight and that increases a child's risk for health problems.
Texas officer charged in fatal shooting
BELTON, Texas -- A central Texas police officer was charged Monday with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man, officials said.
Temple Officer Carmen DeCruz was charged with the second-degree felony in the Dec. 2 shooting of Michael Dean, Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza said in a statement. DeCruz's bond was set at $500,000.
DeCruz tried to stop Dean for speeding on the night of Dec. 2, but the 28-year-old didn't stop and a "short pursuit ensued," according to a police report.
An arrest affidavit issued Monday said that once Dean was stopped, DeCruz went to the passenger side window and demanded that Dean shut the motor off and hand over the keys.
Police video then shows DeCruz, with his gun in his right hand and his finger on the trigger, reached in for the keys with the left hand and pulled back, discharging the gun at Dean's head.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 02/11/2020