A Washington state man who is already in federal custody on weapons and hate crime charges has been indicted in a series of arsons at Jehovah’s Witness kingdom halls, authorities announced Wednesday. FOX13
Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release that the new charges against 50-year-old Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, are part of the Justice Department’s efforts to target hate crimes, which have been on the rise nationally.
Starrett now faces three additional counts of damage to religious property, which is a hate crime, and three counts of using fire to commit a federal felony in connection with arsons atStarrett is due to be arraigned next week. His attorney, Lance Hester, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. But in a letter to a federal magistrate judge in October 2021, Starrett insisted that he didn’t attack the worship halls.
Furthermore, they said that several friends and family members told law enforcement that Starrett believed he was haunted by the spirits of an ex-girlfriend’s deceased Jehovah’s Witness relatives, and that he hated the religion. The friends and family members also reported that he used drugs and alcohol heavily and had serious mental health issues.
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