A South Carolina man faces federal charges after authorities say he burned a cross in his backyard to scare his Black neighbors after posting photos of their home online.
A federal grand jury indicted 31-year-old Worden Evander Butler on charges of interfering with the housing rights of his Black neighbors and using fire to commit a federal felony in connection with an incident on Nov. 24, 2023, in Conway, South Carolina.
The indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, alleges that shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, Butler posted multiple Facebook posts about his next-door neighbors.
In those posts, he wrote that he would give “his racist neighbors … a good scare for the health. With a cross in the lawn.”
After uploading pictures of the victims’ home, cars, and mailbox to his social media profiles, he set up a cross in his backyard and set it on fire.
Butler could face up to 10 years in federal prison for the crime.
“Racial animosity has no place in our community,” said FBI Columbia Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jose Charriez. “This indictment reflects the serious nature of the alleged crimes and our dedication to ensuring the victims see a just resolution.”
Last year, Butler and his girlfriend, Alexis Hartnett, pleaded guilty to state charges of second-degree harassment in connection with the incident. Horry County authorities reported that the victim in the case had reported multiple instances of harassment leading up to the cross-burning, according to WPDE.
In one of those encounters, Butler reportedly entered the victims’ property and began yelling anti-Black racial slurs.
Butler also posted a picture of the victims’ mailbox with their address on Facebook and made a series of disturbing social media posts, stating that he was “summoning the devil’s army and I don’t care if they and I both go down in the same boat” and “I’m about to make them pay,” among other remarks.
The victims, Shawn and Monica Williams, say they’re glad Butler is being federally prosecuted, but would like to see the hate crime bill passed in South Carolina.
“We are very grateful for law enforcement to actually get us to this point because, again, the cross-burning itself is just still so surreal to both Monica and I and our family,” Shawn Williams told WCNC.
“We actually would like to see the hate crime bill passed in the state of South Carolina. That for us would bring everything full circle,” Monica Williams added.
Calls mounted for a state hate crime law after the devastating 2015 mass shooting at a Charleston church where self-proclaimed white supremacist Dylann Roof gunned down nine Black congregation members during a Bible study session.
In the years since the legislation was introduced, it has remained tied up in the state general assembly. The South Carolina House passed the bill twice, but it stalled in the state Senate.
The bill would not only introduce an official state hate crime charge, but it would also allow additional penalties, such as added years in prison and higher fines for anyone convicted of the crime.
Critics believe a hate crime law in the state isn’t necessary when federal hate crime statutes can cover the offenses. Roof was sentenced to death after being convicted of federal hate crimes for the mass shooting.
Shawn Williams disagreed. He said that because Butler and Hartnett pleaded guilty to harassment, they only had to serve a brief stint in jail and pay a fine, but could have faced a harsher penalty had a hate crime law been enacted in the state.
“That’s the extent of their dealings with the law because there is no hate crime law,” Williams told WCSC in February.
A similar call to action was made last year after a white man in Richland County aimed a rifle at a Black jogger and shot at him while yelling, “Keep running, boy!”
Jonathan Felkel was charged with a hate crime under the county statutes, but the victim called for lawmakers to pass legislation on a state level. Under local hate crime ordinances, offenders are typically charged with misdemeanors and given minimal punishments. A state hate crime law would increase those penalties.
