Virginia Teen Pleads Guilty to Setting Black Church on Fire
Virginia teen Jean-Claude Bridges has pleaded guilty to setting a predominantly Black church on fire. The 18-year-old appeared in court Tuesday and admitted to starting the fire at the New Holy Deliverance Outreach Ministry in Axton, Virginia, on May 20, 2012, along with another male teen.
The Martinsville Bulletin reports that Bridges also admitted that race played a factor in the arson crime adding that "he burned down the church because of the race, color and ethnicity of its congregation."
He could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison and/or fined up to $250,000.
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