Author: Mykal Vincent / Source: http://www.wsfa.com
ST. LANDRY PARISH, LA (WAFB) – Officials say the man arrested in connection to the burning of three historically black churches in Louisiana may have been influenced by black metal.
Holden Matthews, 21, the son of St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Roy Matthews, was arrested and charged with three counts of simple arson of a religious building.
Each charge carries 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,” State Fire Marshal Butch Browning said.
The motive is still under investigation, but Browning said Matthews may have been influenced by “black metal music,” which has been associated with church burnings.
Black metal is an aggressive, fast-tempo, heavily distorted sub-genre of heavy metal music with origins in Scandinavia. In the early 1990s, a rash of church arsons in Norway by fans of the music were described by leaders of the movement as acts of protest against Christianity ruling over a country rooted in Paganism.
A spokesperson for the FBI says Matthews’ father was heartbroken when he found out his son had been identified as the…
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