Curtis Allgier
| Curtis Allgier | |
|---|---|
|
Mug shot of Curtis Allgier | |
| Born |
August 25, 1979 Custer, South Dakota, USA |
| Other names | “Wood” [1] |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Kuna, ID |
Curtis Michael Allgier (born August 25, 1979)[2] is a white supremacist[3] skinhead who is being held in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution[4] in Kuna, Idaho, for the murder[5] of corrections officer Stephen Anderson.
Prior arrests and convictions
Allgier's criminal history began in 1998 with convictions for theft and reckless driving in South Dakota. He was charged with felony burglary, forgery and theft in Utah during October 2000, after he burglarized a neighbor's apartment and made out a stolen check to himself for $300. That month, he was also charged in another county with carrying a concealed handgun and sentenced to 180 days and probation.[6]
Allgier fled Utah in August 2001, which led to a one-to-15-year sentence. Paroled in May 2003, he was then arrested and sent back to prison in July 2004 for traveling to California without authorization, and possessing two knives. He was paroled in October 2006. In November, he became a fugitive for two days on a parole violation. Allgier, armed, barricaded himself for a time inside a hotel room but was captured by a Salt Lake City SWAT team after falling through the ceiling where he had tried to hide. On June 14, 2007, he was sentenced to 104 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.[6]
Murder
On the morning of June 25, 2007, corrections officer Stephen Anderson escorted Allgier to the University of Utah, where Allgier was scheduled for an MRI, because he had been complaining of back problems.[7] While waiting with Anderson in an examination room at the university's orthopedic center, Allgier was unshackled. He then overpowered and disarmed Anderson and shot him in the head. Allgier later stated that the gun went off accidentally during the struggle.[8] After fleeing the clinic on foot, Allgier carjacked a Ford Explorer,[9] and led police on a high-speed chase.[10] Allgier was captured at an Arby's restaurant a few miles away, where he tried to shoot an employee but the gun malfunctioned.[11][12] A restaurant patron, Eric Fullerton, a Vietnam veteran and former Army paratrooper, tackled and held him until the police arrived.[13]
Trial
Allgier's murder trial was initially set for June 2012. In March 2012, the judge granted a motion postponing the trial.[14] On October 3, 2012, Allgier unexpectedly pleaded guilty to murder and several other charges, and also pleaded no contest to three charges of attempted murder.[15] He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[16]
In January 2015, Allgier lost his right to legal representation after repeatedly making frivolous objections to, and threats against, his court-appointed attorneys during his appeals of the life sentence.[17]
Tattoos
Allgier is noted for numerous tattoos expressing his white supremacist beliefs. His ex-wife, Jolene, claimed that he had the “courage to put his beliefs on his entire body.” The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Allgier's face as the "Face of Hate". The meanings of each of these tattoos are explained as:
- Swastika (Hakenkreuz) (center brow, either side of the nose, earlobes and front of the ears): A prevalent item used heavily within Nazi symbolism and is a commonplace tattoo on modern-day followers of White supremacy.
- 14 88 (temples): References the fourteen words written by David Lane (white nationalist writer) "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children." and Heil Hitler, represented by the 88 ('H' being the eighth letter of the English alphabet). This is usually written as 14 88, 14/88 or 1488.
- Crucified skinhead (right cheek): Symbolizes the persecution of working class skinheads by the upper class.
- Three intersecting triangles (right jaw): Known as a valknut or volknut, symbolizes the afterlife and binding of the soul to Odin, who is considered chief among the Norse gods, among non-racist Pagans. However, among racist Pagans, it signifies “that one is ready to be taken into the ranks of Odin’s chosen warriors.”
- 5150 (under the right eye): A likely reference to California statute 5150, which requires commitment to psychiatric hospitals for people declared to be a danger to themselves or others.
- Hatebreed (upper lip): An American hardcore/metalcore band that has pointedly disavowed any racist beliefs after being incorrectly described as a white-power band by CNN in the wake of Wade Page's shooting at a Sikh temple.[18]
- Iron Crosses (forehead temples): Military decoration used by Nazi Germany. Originally from a symbol, typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem,.[19]
- SS Lightning Bolts (jawbones): A symbol of the Schutzstaffel (translated to Protection Squadron or defence corps), abbreviated as SS or
with stylized "Armanen" sig runes). The Schutzstaffel was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler, and was a Nazi police force that administered death camps, in addition to staffing mobile killing units known as Einsatzgruppen. The Nuremberg judges declared the entire SS a criminal organization after World War II. - Blood, Honor, and Loyalty (collarbone): A heavily-used phrase by white supremacists as well as other neo-Nazis in clothing, lyrics, and tattoos.[18]
References
- ↑ "Crime Rant".
- ↑ "Offender Search". Utah Department of Corrections.
- ↑ "Extremism in the News". ADL.
- ↑ "Curtis Allgier murder case behind schedule". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ↑ "Allgier called a friend with alleged confession". ksl.com.
- 1 2 "SLPC Intelligence Report, Fall 2007, Issue 127". Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ↑ "Curtis Allgier kills corrections officer, captured after chase". The National Ledger.
- ↑ "Witness: Allgier was unrestrained before shooting". The Salt Lake Tribune. March 30, 2010.
- ↑ Guard killed; prisoner is captured after chase - The Denver Post
- ↑ "Why did this happen? Probe seeks answers in neo-Nazi inmate's bloody bid for freedom". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on June 28, 2007.
- ↑ Police: Gun malfunction saved worker
- ↑ Report: Escaped inmate tried to shoot Arby's employee
- ↑ "Curtis Allgier speaks from his jail cell". KSLTV.
- ↑ "Trial date canceled in Curtis Allgier case"
- ↑ Reavy, Pat (2012) [Allgier pleads guilty in killing of corrections officer http://www.ksl.com/?sid=22404972&nid=148&title=allgier-pleads-guilty-in-killing-of-corrections-officer&s_cid=featured-1], KSL.com, 3 October 2012, accessed 3 October 2012
- ↑ "Curtis Allgier gets life sentence for killing Utah prison guard Stephen Anderson". The Huffington Post. December 5, 2012.
- ↑ Romboy, Dennis (2015). Convicted killer Curtis Allgier loses right to attorney" KSL.com, accessed 25 Jan 2015
- 1 2 Face of Hate: Curtis Allgier Explained | Hatewatch | Southern Poverty Law Center
- ↑ Jean-Denis Lepage. Medieval armies and weapons in western Europe: an illustrated history. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2005. Pp. 193.