Montana man sentenced to 18 years for hate-motivated shooting targeting LGBTQ+ residents.

John Russell Howald of Basin, Montana, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for hate crime and firearms charges after firing a gun at the residence of a woman who was "known within the town as lesbian" in an attempt to kill her. Howald had the self-described intention of "ridding a town of LGBTQ+ residents" and was armed with multiple weapons. He was convicted by a federal jury in February and was found to be motivated by hatred of the LGBTQ+ community.