Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The 89-year old white supremacist suspected of killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum last month was indicted on Wednesday on seven counts, including hate crimes violations.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia charged James Wenneker Von Brunn with the murder of Stephen Tyrone Johns, an African-American who had served as a special police officer at the museum for six years when he was fatally shot on June 10. The indictment also charges Von Brunn with federal civil rights and hate crimes violations, and offenses under the District’s murder, firearms and hate-crimes statutes.
Prosecutors say Von Brunn had acted alone but has connections to the white supremacist movement and maintained “a website that espoused hatred against various groups and government entities.”
Von Brunn’s indictment had been postponed because he was in a D.C. hospital recuperating from gunshot wounds received during the incident. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. Four of the seven charges in the indictment may result in the death penalty.
The shooting came on the heels of a visit to Buchenwald by President Barack Obama with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Nobel laureate and Auschwitz and Buchenwald survivor Elie Wiesel. It had prompted lawmakers on Capitol Hill to pass a House resolution condemning the attack and honoring the courage and dedication of employees of the museum.
No comments:
Post a Comment