Neo-Nazi Convicted on Weapons Charges in Trooper Shootings
Neo-Nazi David Tate was found guilty of 14 weapons charges Wednesday for illegally possessing machine guns, silencers and grenades when he shot two Missouri state troopers.
A federal jury returned the guilty verdicts less than four hours after beginning deliberations.
Tate, 23, of Athol, Ida., is a member of the right-wing group The Order. His father, Charles Tate, a member of the white supremacist Aryan Nations Church that spawned The Order, said he was not surprised at the verdicts.
“I don’t think we thought it would come out any different,” the elder Tate said. “I think our best hope will be in the appeals courts.”
Assistant U.S. Atty. Rob Aiken said the government presented overwhelming evidence that Tate had the weapons in his van when he was stopped by the troopers on April 15, 1985, during a routine traffic check in Taney County, Mo.
One of the troopers, Jimmie Linegar, was shot to death with an automatic pistol and his partner, Allen Hines, was wounded. Tate is serving two life sentences in Missouri for the shootings.
Tate will be sentenced on the weapons charges Aug. 29.
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