In less than two weeks, fires devastated three historically black churches in one Louisiana parish — a series of reprehensible, worrying attacks, but ones that officials initially hesitated to link. Then, on Wednesday evening, police arrested a suspect in connection to all three fires: the 21-year-old son of the sheriff’s deputy.
While the case is still developing, and few details are yet known, here’s what we know so far about the three fires, and the suspect behind them.
In a span of just ten days, the New York Times reports that three churches suffered devastating fires: St. Mary Baptist Church on March 26, Greater Union Baptist on April 2, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on April 4. All three churches are historically black and in the St. Landry Parish, which is nearly 42 percent black. In each case, officials said they found “suspicious elements,” though they didn’t immediately connect the fires or label them as arson attacks.
“There is clearly something happening in this community,” State Fire Marshal H. Browning said in a statement on April 4, following the second fire. “That is why it is imperative that the citizens of this community be part of our effort to figure out what it is.”
(Officials are currently investigating a fourth, intentionally set fire that occurred at the predominantly white Vivian United Pentecostal Church on at March 31, more than 200 miles north of St. Landry. However, they have not linked this fire to the three others.)
At the time of each fire, all churches were empty, so no one was hurt. However, the churches suffered extensive damage; Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, for example, is nearly completely gone.
On the evening of April 10, investigators arrested 21-year-old Holden Matthews, who was turned in by his father, Deputy Roy Matthews. Not much is known about him, but CBS News reports that social media accounts that appear to belong to Matthew reveal an interest in black metal music, and that he was the lead singer for the band Vodka Vultures. Per the Daily Beast, on Facebook, Matthews commented on two memes about the far-right metal musician Varg Vikernes, though neither of his comments revealed much about his beliefs.
On Thursday, State Fire Marshal Butch Browning told reporters that Matthews has been charged with three counts of simple arson on a religious building, each of which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years. Furthermore, he confirmed that all three fires were “intentionally set” and related.
Police have not yet revealed one, but the the NAACP has called the arson attacks “domestic terrorism,” as black churches — especially in the South — have long suffered racist attacks in the form of arson to bombing, notably during the civil rights era.
Police have so far declined to say whether they’re considering the string of arsons to be 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.”
In the aftermath of the Greater Union fire, Reverend Harry J. Richard preached that “they burned down a building, [but] they didn’t burn down our spirit.” Pastor Kyle Sylvester of St. Mary’s Baptist Church also spread a message of resilience: “There’s still people that need to be helped, there’s still ministry that has to be done, so we can’t let this setback stop us from doing what God has initially called us to do.”
The mayor of Opelousas — the seat of St. Landry parish — told CNN that the fires have shaken the community, and called the attacks “hideous.”
“The relevance and the impact on the people in the surrounding communities and especially the congregation of each of these churches, it’s hurtful and there may be some fear that is being exhibited by those who are a part of the three churches,” Mayor Julius Alsandor said.
This post will be updated as the case develops.