John Russell Howard

John Rusell Howald a white American homophobic  man from Montana pleaded not guilty for the charge of Federal hate crime agaisnt LGBT

By Edward Era Barbacena

Butt, Mont - John Rusell Howald a white homophobic man from Montana who was indicted of federal hate crime pleaded not guilty.  Howald was accused of threatening an individual violent, homophobic rants and even firing seven shots into his victim's house with AK-47 rifle which was unprovoked, prosecutor says.

Howald of Basin entered his plea on Tuesday during a hearing before US Magistrate judge John Johnston in Great falls. 44 year old Howald also pleaded not guilty to a federal firearm charge.

Prosecutor said in March of 2020, Howald attempted to kill a person in Basin because of the percieved sexual orientation when he shot the assault rifle into the person's house and said "he wanted to get rid of lesbians and gays.

If proven guilty, Howald will face up to life in prison on the federal hate crime charge and a mandatory minimun of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, on the firearm charge. A federal district court judge will determine aby sentence after considering the US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.