A white supremacist couple face the death penalty after allegedly being caught on their way to kill "more Jews" following a two-week manhunt in which at least three people were murdered.
David Pederson, 31, and his girlfriend Holly Grigsby, 24, were arrested north of Sacremento, California. An arsenal of loaded handguns and rifles was found in their vehicle.
Their alleged victims include Pederson's stepmother, Leslie Pederson, 69. Her body was found in her home near Puget Sound in Washington state, with her hands bound by duct tape, her head wrapped in a pillow soaked in blood and a sword lying nearby.
Yesterday the pair appeared at Yuba County Court, Marysville, California. The court heard Grigsby had confessed that after killing Pederson's stepmother they murdered his 56-year-old father by shooting him in the back of the head as he drove them to a bus station.
They then drove to Oregon where, Grigsby told police, they killed 19-year-old Cody Myers after mistakenly concluding that his last name meant he was Jewish. The couple were driving Myers's car when captured. Both have known links to white supremacist groups and Pederson has a prominent White Power tattoo on his neck.
After their arrest, Grigsby allegedly said that she and Pederson were on their way to Sacramento to "kill more Jews". They have also been named as suspects in the murder of Reginald Clark, a 53-year-old black man, whose body was found in a car in Eureka, California.
In an interview from jail, Pederson - who has spent most of his adult life in prison - claimed he killed his father because he believed he had sexually molested his sister and cousin.
Police think Mrs Pederson was killed because they thought she knew of the abuse but did not stop it. No proof has been found that the molestation happened.
Prosecutor Mark Roe said the pair face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and warned the killings in Oregon and California could also be prosecuted as hate crimes.
Pederson and Grigsby are being held in prison before extradition to Washington after bail was set at $1million each.
This is London
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Migrants living in fear after racist bomb attack on Poles (Northern Ireland)
A campaign of attacks against foreign nationals living in Antrim could force some to flee the area, it has been claimed.
The warning came after a pipe-bomb was left on the windowsill of a Polish couple's home at Seacash Drive yesterday. Community representatives said it was the latest in a series of incidents targeting foreigners in the town.
The alert began around 8am yesterday and saw the Parkhall Road closed and nearby homes evacuated for several hours. A PSNI spokesperson confirmed that a viable device had been taken away for examination.
UUP councillor Adrian Watson said he was hopeful that the family would stay in Antrim.
“They are giving it a lot of thought, although they are obviously very shaken,” he said.
There have been other racist attacks recently in Antrim.
“Last week a mob attacked a house belonging to foreign nationals and put the windows in, and the same night graffiti went up saying that foreigners were not welcome,” said Mr Watson. “There is no justification for it.”
Maciek Bator from the Polish Association warned that some foreign residents may leave.
“Some people will decide to move out of this area and some will decide to move out of Northern Ireland,” he said.
“They will take a bad image of Northern Ireland with them.”
A loyalist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to a news organisation. Progressive Unionist Party Ken Wilkinson — whose own home was targeted in a pipe-bomb attack last year — visited the family and apologised for what had happened.
He said: “These people carried this out in the name of loyalism, these people are loyal to nothing. These people are just bigots.”
Graffiti attacking the PUP — calling it the ‘Polish Unity Party’ — has also appeared in the area.
PSNI area commander Chief Inspector Natalie Wilson appealed information about the attack.
Belfast Telegraph
The warning came after a pipe-bomb was left on the windowsill of a Polish couple's home at Seacash Drive yesterday. Community representatives said it was the latest in a series of incidents targeting foreigners in the town.
The alert began around 8am yesterday and saw the Parkhall Road closed and nearby homes evacuated for several hours. A PSNI spokesperson confirmed that a viable device had been taken away for examination.
UUP councillor Adrian Watson said he was hopeful that the family would stay in Antrim.
“They are giving it a lot of thought, although they are obviously very shaken,” he said.
There have been other racist attacks recently in Antrim.
“Last week a mob attacked a house belonging to foreign nationals and put the windows in, and the same night graffiti went up saying that foreigners were not welcome,” said Mr Watson. “There is no justification for it.”
Maciek Bator from the Polish Association warned that some foreign residents may leave.
“Some people will decide to move out of this area and some will decide to move out of Northern Ireland,” he said.
“They will take a bad image of Northern Ireland with them.”
A loyalist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to a news organisation. Progressive Unionist Party Ken Wilkinson — whose own home was targeted in a pipe-bomb attack last year — visited the family and apologised for what had happened.
He said: “These people carried this out in the name of loyalism, these people are loyal to nothing. These people are just bigots.”
Graffiti attacking the PUP — calling it the ‘Polish Unity Party’ — has also appeared in the area.
PSNI area commander Chief Inspector Natalie Wilson appealed information about the attack.
Belfast Telegraph
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