Eight arrested in La. for murder during Klan initiation
A woman was allegedly murdered by the leader of a Louisiana Ku Klux Klan group when she tried to leave an initiation ritual over the weekend. The killing comes amidst a reported recruitment surge among racist hate groups following the election of the nation's first African-American president.
The unidentified woman was camping at a remote site along eastern Louisiana's Pearl River as part of the ceremony when an argument broke out between her and 44-year-old Raymond "Chuck" Foster of Bogalusa,the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Foster is allegedly the leader of a group that news reports have identified variously as the Sons of Dixie, the Sons of Dixie Brotherhood and Dixie Brotherhood.
Foster allegedly shot the woman after she asked to be taken back to town. He has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the St. Tammany Parish jail.
Seven other suspects from the Bogalusa area are also under arrest, including Foster's son, Shane Foster. The men and women are charged with obstruction of justice for their alleged efforts to conceal the crime, including burning the woman's belongings and trying to dig the bullet out of her body with a knife. The corpse was found in a nearby canal.
The Washington Parish Sheriff's initially learned about a possible killing after Shane Foster and another member of the group showed up at a local convenience store and asked the clerk how to remove bloodstains from clothing. The clerk recognized the men.
Local authorities said they will further investigate the Klan group and its activities. They have also alerted the FBI, which may consider federal charges.
The Klan was active in Washington Parish during the civil rights movement and was suspected in the still-unsolved shooting of the parish's first two black deputies. But officials at the Southern Poverty Law Center said they did not know of Foster's organization or other Klan groups active in the area. They also said this kind of crime -- the murder of a recruit for trying to back out -- is unusual.
The unidentified woman was camping at a remote site along eastern Louisiana's Pearl River as part of the ceremony when an argument broke out between her and 44-year-old Raymond "Chuck" Foster of Bogalusa,the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Foster is allegedly the leader of a group that news reports have identified variously as the Sons of Dixie, the Sons of Dixie Brotherhood and Dixie Brotherhood.
Foster allegedly shot the woman after she asked to be taken back to town. He has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the St. Tammany Parish jail.
Seven other suspects from the Bogalusa area are also under arrest, including Foster's son, Shane Foster. The men and women are charged with obstruction of justice for their alleged efforts to conceal the crime, including burning the woman's belongings and trying to dig the bullet out of her body with a knife. The corpse was found in a nearby canal.
The Washington Parish Sheriff's initially learned about a possible killing after Shane Foster and another member of the group showed up at a local convenience store and asked the clerk how to remove bloodstains from clothing. The clerk recognized the men.
Local authorities said they will further investigate the Klan group and its activities. They have also alerted the FBI, which may consider federal charges.
The Klan was active in Washington Parish during the civil rights movement and was suspected in the still-unsolved shooting of the parish's first two black deputies. But officials at the Southern Poverty Law Center said they did not know of Foster's organization or other Klan groups active in the area. They also said this kind of crime -- the murder of a recruit for trying to back out -- is unusual.
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Sue Sturgis
Sue is the editorial director of Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies.