Basin man found guilty of hate crime in federal trial

On Friday, Feb. 17, a federal jury convicted 46-year-old Basin resident John Russell Howald of hate and firearms crimes stemming from a 2020 shooting attack on a neighbor’s home.

Capping a four-day trial in the U.S. District Court in Helena, the jury made its unanimous decision in 72 minutes, finding the defendant in violation of the 2010 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. That 2010 legislation expanded existing hate crime laws to include violent attacks motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

The verdict came nearly three years after Howald’s offense. A little after noon on Sunday, Mar. 22, 2020, according to court documents, Howald discharged approximately 11 rounds of ammunition into the home of a 71-year-old lesbian woman in an effort to “clean up” the town, an act that led to an indictment for a federal hate crime charge and a federal firearm charge.