Couple accused of murders face hate crime charges

PORTLAND — A couple accused in a three-state Northwest killing spree last fall now face federal hate crime charges alleging they killed four people as part of a white supremacist campaign. Amanda Marshall, the U.S. attorney for Oregon, said today that a federal grand jury has indicted 32-year-old David “Joey” Pedersen and 25-year-old Holly Ann Grigsby on federal racketeering charges. She says they’re accused of going on their rampage to promote a movement that would “purify” and “preserve” the white race. Pedersen has pleaded guilty in Washington state to killing his father and stepmother. He faces life in prison. Grigsby awaits trial. The other victims were an Oregon teenager shot because he had a “Jewish-sounding” last name and a black man in Northern California.