Federal charges filed for 2020 hate crime against Black missionary
May 26, 2023, 3:57 PM | Updated: Jun 22, 2023, 4:55 pm
Prosecutors have layered federal hate crime charges on top of state charges filed against two Payson suspects for an assault in 2020.
Nathan West Thomas and Sebastian Francis West, both 22 years old, were indicted last month by a federal grand jury for allegedly assaulting the man in January 2020.
KSL previously reported about a Black missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Panama who was assaulted January 28 that same year.
The victim was reportedly with his companion when they passed a group of around six people.
The group allegedly began yelling racial slurs at the victim. The suspects then reportedly punched and kicked the victim — shoving him to the ground while still assaulting him. The missionary was able to free himself and ran off.
Police at the time said the man’s companion was a white man, and was never targeted during the attack.
Police identified Sebastian Francis West as a suspect in 2020.
