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First Hate Crime Conviction in Richland County | Charleston News
Description
A man named Jonathan Felkel just got nine years in federal prison — the first person ever charged under Richland County’s new hate crime law — after he fired a gun and yelled racial slurs at his Black neighbor, Jarvis McKenzie, on July 17, 2025. Felkel admitted he believed McKenzie, because he was Black, must be tied to criminals. McKenzie, whose family will carry this trauma for years, vowed to keep fighting for his daughters. Sheriff Leon Lott and U.S. prosecutors emphasized that even without state hate crime laws, federal agencies can and will act — and this case, resolved nine months after the attack, sets a precedent for holding hate-driven violence accountable across jurisdictions.
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