Thursday, December 09, 2021
Two Illinois prisoners charged with beating Jewish prisoner to death in hate crime attack
Two Illinois inmates, members of a white supremacist group, have been charged with beating a Jewish inmate to death.
Brandon Simonson, also known as "Whitey," 37, and Kristopher Martin, also known as "No Luck," 39, were each charged with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder, hate crime, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury after the death of fellow inmate Matthew Phillilps, 31.
According to the indictment, both men, incarcerated at Thompson Penitentiary in Thompson, Illinois, were part of a white supremacist group called the Valhalla Bound Skinheads, and conspired to assault Phillips because he was Jewish. On March 2nd, 2020, the pair beat Phillips until he died.
"Hatred and violence on the basis of religion have no place in our society," said U.S. Attorney John Lausch. "We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect the civil rights of all Americans."
Phillips had been serving a sentence for distributing heroin and money laundering.
Both men face sentences of life in prison if convicted.
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