Recent Louisiana Church Burnings May Have Been Influenced by Black Metal
At the end of March, we reported on a woman who set fire to two churches in Orem, Utah and wrote "Satan Lives" on the doors. Now, it seems setting churches on fire is a trend, as it has been newly reported that a black metal musician has been arrested in Louisiana for setting three churches on fire over the span of 10 days.
The 21-year-old suspect deemed responsible for the burnings of the three historical African-American churches was apparently influenced by black metal and "its associated history with church burnings."
To make matters even more alarming, the young man in custody is the son of a St. Landry deputy, the town where the crimes took place. "I don't know what this young man's motive was, I don't know what was in his heart, but I can say it cannot be justified or rationalized," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said of the burnings, according to CNN. "These were evil acts. But let me be clear about this, hate is not a Louisiana value." Watch a news report on the burnings below.
State Fire Marshal Butch Browning explained that while an official motive behind the burnings has not been established, investigators believe the suspect was inspired by black metal and its controversial history. In the early 1990s, Norwegian black metal artists paved the way for the cult-like genre, which was eventually connected to several murders, suicides and church burnings.
10 Best Norwegian Metal Bands