The Jackson Sun reports on updated dates for court appearances of white supremacists Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart accused of plotting the murder of 88 African Americans and plotting to assassinate Barack Obama. The two are to appear in federal court in Jackson, Tennessee in April. The Jackson Sun has had periodic reports on the case.
According to the Jackson Sun: “Schlesselman will appear before Judge J. Daniel Breen at 9:30 a.m. April 16 at the U.S. Courthouse in Jackson so Breen can hear his petition asking that the court suppress evidence in the case, according to court records.” “A report date, set for April 17 at Cowart and Schlesselman’s last court appearance, has been reset to April 16 as well.”
The Memphis Commercial Appeal has also reported recently that U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen has refused motions by Paul Schlesselman’s attorneys to dismiss charges on his alleged plot to assassinate Barack Obama.
Additional information on the background, charges, and history of white supremacists Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart can be found in True Crime Report story, CBS News Investigative Report, Report “Skinheads in Obama Assassination Plot,” SPLC report, Wikipedia report, and newslinks at Against Racial Supremacism Yahoo news group.
Online version of the three count federal felony affidavit of complaint is also available on four pages: page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4. Three pages of the affidavit are also available in PDF format online.
According to this federal felony affidavit:
— “Each individual claims to have very strong beliefs and views regarding ‘White Power’ and ‘Skinhead’ views. The individuals began discussing going on a ‘killing spree’ that included killing 88 people and beheading 14 African Americans.”
— The accused “discussed the killing spree to include targeting a predominantly African-American school going state to state while robbing individuals and continuing to kill people.”
— “They further stated that their final act of violence would be to attempt to kill/assassinate Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.”
— In October 2008, the affidavit also states “while driving around Cowart and Schlesselman observed a church and decide to shoot a window out.” The affidavit identifies the target as the Beech Grove Church of Christ in Brownsville, Tennessee.
According to U.S. federal agent Brian Weaks, white supremacists Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart met through a web site “approximately one month” before their arrests in October 2008. Both Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart maintained MySpace web accounts, as described in True Crime Report’s article on their background.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s investigation shows that Daniel Cowart was linked to a social networking web site for the “Supreme White Alliance” (SWA); Cowart was also shown in a photograph with SWA members in a “birthday party held for Adolf Hitler last April” [2008].
According to a CBS News investigative report, “CBS News traced Cowart’s email and discovered that he is a forum member of the website StormFront.org, reportedly the nation’s largest website for white supremacists known as ‘white-power.'” The neo-Nazi, white supremacist StormFront.org website has long been a haven for those promoting Nazism and white supremacism. This notorious hate web site described as a “vertiable supermarket of online hate” has been repeatedly in the national news, including providing a $500 donation to a candidate for U.S. president; when interviewed, a spokesman for the candidate stated what was described about StormFront was “certainly repugnant,” although the candidate decided to keep StormFront’s contribution.