On December 28, 2010, Steven Scott Cantrell, 25, of Crane, Texas, set fire to Faith in Christ Church, a predominantly African-American church, as part of an effort to murder a disabled African-American man who he saw passing by the church in his wheelchair.
Cantrell, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, pleaded guilty to damaging religious property and interfering with housing rights in violation of federal hate crime laws before U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell in federal court in Midland, Texas.
During the plea hearing, Cantrell admitted that he intentionally attempted to kill the disabled African-American man whom he believed lived at a shelter within the church, and was present when he set the fire. The man was not hurt. Cantrell also ransacked the church, wrote a series of threatening and racist messages in large letters across the wall of the church next to the pastor’s office, and ‘tagged’ the church with references to the Aryan Brotherhood.
The arson of Faith in Christ Church was part of a series of racially-motivated arsons that Cantrell perpetrated that day in his attempt to gain status with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. In addition to the church, Cantrell admitted that he set fire to the house of another man in the community because he believed that man to be Jewish and because he sought to injure, intimidate or interfere with that man’s right to rent or occupy that house.
Cantrell also admitted to setting fire to Craig’s Gym in violation of federal arson laws. At the plea hearing, Cantrell acknowledged that he set fire to Craig’s Gym because he believed the owners served Mexican-Americans and African-American patrons and because the gym was owned by a Caucasian man married to a woman of Mexican descent.
Cantrell’s sentencing has been set for November 30, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. Cantrell faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for burning the church with intent to commit murder and his other crimes.
Cantrell’s case was jointly investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Crane Police Department and the Texas Department of Insurance. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Victor Boutros from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Klassen for the Western District of Texas.
Defendant/Respondent: Steven Scott Cantrell
Criminal Charges: Damaging religious property and interfering with housing rights in violation of federal hate crime laws
City and State: Crane, Texas
Exact Date: December 28, 2010 (crime date)
Sentence or Outcome: Sentencing set for November 30, 2011
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime|Hate Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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