Members of New Skinhead Gang Accused in Two States
Die Auserw盲hlten, a little-known racist skinhead gang in Nebraska and several other states, is less than a year old. But in the last few days, the crew has been making a name for itself 鈥� in mayhem and murder separated by more than a thousand miles.
In a small college city in south-central Nebraska, the gang鈥檚 28-year-old founder, , faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of a brutal assault Saturday night.
But that鈥檚 nothing compared to what another suspected member of the gang, Jeremy Lee Moody, 30, and his wife, Christine, 36, are accused of doing Sunday afternoon about 1,200 miles away in Union County, S.C. According to , the Moodys were each charged yesterday with two counts of murder in the slaying of Charles Marvin Parker, 59, and Gretchen Dawn Parker, 51.
Charles Parker was a registered sex offender and that is why he was shot to death in his home, Union County Sheriff David H. Taylor told Hatewatch today. 鈥淢oody told us he targeted this individual because he was a child molester,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚 was there when he made that statement.鈥�
As for Parker鈥檚 wife, Taylor said Moody told him, 鈥淪he was a casualty of war.鈥�
Moody has the word 鈥渟kinhead鈥� tattooed across his throat and 鈥渨hite power鈥� atop his shaved head. In addition, Sheriff Taylor said, Moody has 鈥�88鈥� 鈥� the numerical symbol for Heil Hitler 鈥� tattooed on one hand and on the other a tattoo of the number 14 for the white nationalist creed of known as 鈥淭he 14 Words.鈥�
Taylor said Moody admitted to being 鈥渁 white supremacist but didn鈥檛 say which group he was affiliated with.鈥�
But shortly after Moody鈥檚 arrest, Schmidt, the founder of Die Auserw盲hlten, which is also known as Crew 41, posted this note on his Facebook page: 鈥淭hough I can鈥檛 blame them for their actions this in no way was ordered.鈥�
On Facebook, Moody calls himself Jeremy Mengele after the notorious Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor who performed barbaric experiments on twins and other children at Auschwitz. Featured prominently on Moody鈥檚 page is a picture of a warrior鈥檚 mask with horns, lightning bolts like those used by the SS, and the number 41. Forty-one is the numerical symbol for Die Auserw盲hlten.
Little is known about the origins of the crew or its size. Its German name translates, more or less, as "the chosen" or 鈥渢he favored few.鈥� On its Facebook page, it claims to have seven chapters, including ones in Nebraska, Utah and South Carolina. The founder, Jonathan Schmidt, whose face is a mask of tattoos displaying his hate and his sorrow, lives in Pleasanton, a small town in south-central Nebraska.
On Saturday night, he and a friend were in nearby Kearney, where a campus of the University of Nebraska is located. Saturday was Kearney鈥檚 annual Cruise Nite, an all day parade, party and celebration of old cars. 鈥淧eople come from all over,鈥� said Kearney Police Capt. Mike Kirkwood. It goes from morning to five in the afternoon, when the parade turns into a blocks-long party near the college campus with plenty of drinking. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real pain in the rear for us,鈥� Kirkwood said. 鈥淏ut it looks like a blast for them.鈥�
Schmidt and his friend are accused of yanking a 27-year-old man out of a car and stomping and kicking him in the head, leaving him a mangled mass in the street. The local paper, the Kearney Hub, said the man鈥檚 skull was fractured but he will survive.
The paper said the victim was transported to a local hospital where he identified Schmidt in a photo lineup.
Schmidt has an exceedingly distinctive facial appearance. His face is covered in tattoos, including 鈥�5150,鈥� police code for someone involuntarily committed to a mental institution, 鈥淔YL鈥� for 鈥渇--- your life,鈥� 鈥淩IP Donny Boi,鈥� a tribute to a skinhead tattoo artist killed by California police during a shootout earlier in July, and runes, or medieval Germanic letters, on his left eyebrow that spell out 鈥淗ate.鈥�
Schmidt was released on bond Tuesday. On his Facebook page, Schmidt said he is innocent of the charges and that 鈥渢he mother f----- who was supposed to turn himself in and clear my name has backed out because of his old lady running her fat ass mouth鈥ot too sure what plan b is but they better fix this shit before it gets any more outta hand.鈥�
Capt. Kirkwood of the Kearney police said Crew 41 is 鈥渃ompletely new to us.鈥�
鈥淵ears ago, in the early 鈥�80s, we had some Posse Comitatus and sovereign citizen activity, but nothing too serious,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think these guys are just trying to get people riled up.鈥�
Sheriff Taylor, in South Carolina, said his deputies have been monitoring Moody for years. 鈥淲e thought he was in the drug business,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淏ut we never had much trouble out of him until now.鈥�
They tried to follow Moody鈥檚 social media trail, but Moody kept changing his page or was getting deleted by Facebook, which Moody complained about recently on his page when he wrote, 鈥淕etting banned every 2 weeks gets old.鈥�
Taylor said the Moodys were caught on the Parker鈥檚 security camera parking in front of their home Sunday afternoon. Moody lifted up the hood of his car, pretending he needed service. Parker, Taylor said, 鈥渨as a shade-tree mechanic,鈥� meaning he did auto repair under the trees near his home.
Taylor said the Moodys then go into the home and come out a short time later.
There was a sign in the Parkers鈥� yard. It said, 鈥淪mile you鈥檙e on camera.鈥�
