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Man to Plead Guilty to Involvement in '08 Springfield, Massachusetts Church Burning

By Altman & Altman

Benjamin F. Haskell, one of three white men who originally pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges in a civil rights violation related to the burning of a predominantly black Springfield church, is scheduled to plead guilty during a change of plea hearing on Wednesday. It has not been revealed what charge he will plead guilty to is or whether there is a plea agreement involved. Haskell, 23, Michael Jacques, 25, and Thomas Gleason Jr. 22, were charged in connection with a blaze that destroyed the Macedonia Church of God in Christ on November 5, 2008, just hours after President Obama was elected. All three men were arrested in January 2009 based on information provided by an informant. The defendants allegedly confessed that they entered the church, which was under construction at the time, through a side window and used about five gallons of gas to douse the structure on the outside and the inside...continue to full post

Full post as published by Boston Criminal lawyer Blog on June 12, 2010 (boomark / email).