Thursday, June 17, 2010

MA Man Pleads Guilty to Burning Black Church; Was Angered by Obama's Election as President

A white Springfield, Massachusetts man -- angered by Barack Obama's election as the nation's first black president -- pleaded guilty yesterday (June 16, 2010) to federal civil rights charges for burning down a black church in 2008, according to the Associated Press.

Benjamin Haskell, 23, faces a mandatory incarceration of at least 108 months when he is sentenced on September 29, 2010 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor.

Haskell torched the Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield on November 5, 2008, within hours of Obama's election.

The church -- which had been under construction at the time of the attack -- had about 300 members, 90 percent of whom were black, federal authorities said.

No comments:

Post a Comment