Montana Man Receives 18-Year Sentence for Attempting to Kill All LGBTQ Residents in His Town

A Montana man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for shooting into a residence and attempting to kill every gay and transgender person in his town, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

John Russell Howald, a resident of the unincorporated community of Basin, was convicted in February on federal hate crime charges of shooting an AK-style rifle at the home of a woman who was known within Basin to be a lesbian. The woman was known to be home at that time and Howald hoped but did not confirm that he had killed her. The shooting occurred on March 22, 2020.

Armed with two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols and multiple high-capacity magazines, federal prosecutors said Howald then went on what he described as a mission to rid Basin of all of its LGBTQ residents by walking toward other homes of people who were known to identify as gay.

Residents in Basin, which has a population of roughly 270, who happened to be leaving a nearby church stalled Howald long enough for a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to respond and find Howald firing more rounds and stating his intent to “clean” the town of its gay residents.

Howald then fled into the nearby hills and was arrested the following day with a loaded pistol and a knife. Law enforcement officers also found an AR-style rifle and a revolver in his car and an AK-style rifle, a hunting rifle and ammunition in his camper.

“Howald fired multiple shots into someone’s home based solely on her sexual orientation and only the heroic and brave actions of residents and law enforcement, as well as some good fortune, prevented a targeted mass shooting,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Jesse Laslovich said in a statement.

“It is the kind of conduct that has no place in Montana, which is why our office vigorously prosecuted Howald and why the justice system is holding him accountable for his actions,” Laslovich added.

In addition to the prison sentence, Howald will be subject to five years of supervised release.

The FBI; federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation into the shooting.