An Oregon man, Matthew Alan Lehigh, has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges for a series of vicious attacks against individuals perceived to be members of the LGBTQ+ community in Idaho. The charges were filed following a disturbing incident at the Boise Public Library Main Branch in downtown Boise on October 8, 2022. According to the Department of Justice, Lehigh, 31, physically assaulted and threatened to stab a transgender library employee while using derogatory slurs aimed at the LGBTQ+ community. In a further act of aggression, Lehigh attempted to collide his car with a security guard who had intervened, narrowly escaping injury.
A Wave of Targeted Attacks
The hate-fueled violence did not stop there. Just four days later, Lehigh targeted two women he perceived to be lesbians in a Boise parking lot. Shouting threats and slurs, he accelerated his vehicle in an attempt to collide with them. Fortunately, the women managed to evade the oncoming car, but Lehigh’s reckless driving resulted in a collision with another vehicle at significant speed. These incidents were not isolated, as Lehigh also confessed to setting fire to a rainbow-striped Pride flag, vandalizing a building shared by an LGBTQI+ community organization and religious congregation, and assaulting a grocery store customer with an anti-LGBTQ+ slur.
Justice Served
“This defendant targeted strangers for terrifying attacks for no reason other than his perceptions of their sexual orientation,” stated Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The plea agreement, reached between Lehigh and prosecutors, includes a prison term of 37 to 45 months, followed by three years of supervised release. As part of the agreement, Lehigh will be required to pay restitution to all victims and receive ongoing psychiatric care upon his release.
Federal Intervention Amid State Limitations
Prior to the federal hate crime charges, Lehigh faced state charges for the same attacks. However, Idaho law does not explicitly include sexual orientation as a determining factor for hate crime charges. Consequently, the state did not pursue hate crime charges against Lehigh. This case highlights the importance of federal intervention in cases where state laws may fall short in protecting marginalized communities. Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division emphasized the FBI’s commitment to investigating civil rights violations and ensuring the safety of the LGBTQI+ community.
As the final sentence awaits determination by the federal district court judge, this guilty plea serves as a reminder of the devastating impact hate crimes have on individuals’ lives and the imperative need for justice and protection against such acts of violence.