Man Arrested In Connection To Three Black Church Fires In Louisiana

The search for the individual who set fire to three historically black churches in Louisiana appears to have ended.

Authorities arrested a suspect in connection with the fires on Wednesday evening. The individual was later identified as 21-year-old St. Landry Parish resident Holden Matthew. Matthew's father, Sheriff Deputy Roy Matthews, reportedly helped facilitate the arrest.

The first fire occurred on March 26 at St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, followed by Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas on April 2 and April 4, respectively. Police have also been investigating another fire at predominantly white church Vivian United Pentecostal Church in Caddo Parish on March 31.

Following the three fires, the NAACP released a statement on their website, calling the fires “domestic terrorism” and “a reflection of the emboldened racial rhetoric and tension spreading across the country.”

Matthews’ identity was revealed in a press conference at Landry Parish Sheriff Public Safety Complex in Opelousas, Louisiana, by Gov. John Bel Edwards. During the conference, Edwards said the burnings were reminders of the South’s “very dark past of intimidation and fear.”

State Fire Marshall Butch Browning followed Edwards, revealing that Matthews is being charged with three counts of arson on a religious building with each count carrying a possible max sentence of 15 years. Browning told the press that all three fires were “intentionally set” and are “related.”

Browning didn’t speak of Matthews’ motives, which are still under investigation, but did point to his involvement in “black metal music” a subgenre of “heavy metal,” as a possible influence. Matthews, himself, is the lead singer of the band Vodka Vultures.