Louisiana church fire suspect now faces hate crime charges.
will remain in jail, denied bond Monday by a judge, as state prosecutors added new charges declaring the arsons a hate crime.
"We felt that he was an immediate risk to public safety," said Louisiana Fire Marshal Butch Browning."In my mind, I felt another fire was imminent." Matthews, who had no previous criminal record, was arrested Wednesday on three charges of arson of a religious building. Prosecutors filed documents Monday adding three more charges, accusing Matthews of violating Louisiana's hate crime law, confirming that they believe the fires were racially motivated, a link authorities had previously stopped short of making.
Matthews' arrest came a little more than two weeks after the first blaze at the St. Mary Baptist Church on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas. Days later, the Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas were burned. Each was more than 100 years old.
Matthews' attorney Quincy Cawthorne questioned some of the evidence cited by Browning and said Matthews didn't have the financial means to be a flight risk. He also objected to suggestions that the house near one of the churches was intentionally set on fire, putting the residents' lives in danger.Prosecutors, through Browning's testimony, gave more insight into the evidence that law enforcement used to build their case against Matthews.
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