John Russell Howald, Hate Crime and Firearm Violations, Montana 2020

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Montana Man Charged with Hate Crime and Firearms Violations

A federal grand jury in Billings, Montana, returned an indictment on May 20 charging John Russell Howald, 44, of Basin, with hate crime and firearm violations for allegedly firing a gun into an individual’s house and threatening the individual with violent, homophobic slurs.

According to court documents, Howald is charged with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and with the use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The indictment alleges that on March 22, 2020, in Basin, Howald attempted to injure an individual because of their actual and perceived sexual orientation by discharging a firearm into the individual’s house, stating that he wanted to “get rid of the lesbians [and] gays.” The offense included an attempt to kill the individual.

Howald is scheduled for an arraignment on June 29 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Great Falls. If convicted, Howald faces up to life in prison on the hate crime charge and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, on the firearm charge.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was announced by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson of the District of Montana.

The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to combating hate crimes and protecting the rights of all individuals. For more information and resources on the department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.