Related Federal Cases
Local Man’s Home Torched in Racist Act
Charles Wilhelm, 23, of Independence, Missouri, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in the vandalism and arson of a biracial man’s home in Independence, MO.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, Wilhelm, along with co-conspirators Teresa Witthar and David Martin, conspired to intimidate and scare Nathaniel Reed, a biracial man, into moving out of the Highland Manor Mobile Home Park in Independence, in part because of his race.
On June 6, 2006, Wilhelm, Witthar, and Martin vandalized Reed’s home by writing at least 15 racially derogatory slurs on the walls of his trailer. Two days later, they set fire to the home, causing significant damage.
“The racially motivated destruction of the victim’s home strikes at the heart of the protections afforded by our civil rights laws,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division.
Witthar was previously sentenced to 63 months in prison for her role in the crime. Martin is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, 2012.
The case was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. It was investigated by the Kansas City Division of the FBI.
“Today’s sentence makes an important statement that race-based crime carries serious punishment. Racially-motivated attacks are offensive to our community and will not be tolerated by our justice system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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