by: Marilyn Mayo
August 12, 2016
On August 11, 2016, a jury convicted white supremacist Billy Ray Mount, of Clearlake, California, on charges of second-degree murder.
Billy Ray Mount (Lake County Sheriff's Office)
Mount, 36, a member of the racist skinhead organization Volksfront, killed Steven Galvin in a drive-by shooting on July 2, 2015, apparently in retaliation for Galvin’s alleged theft of a tablet computer.
Volksfront is a virulently racist and anti-Semitic group founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1994, whose primary agenda was to establish a whites-only region in the Pacific Northwest. Although the group claims to be non-violent, a number of their members have been convicted of violent crimes. While it is now essentially defunct, the organization saw a period of growth between 1999 and 2012. Their California presence has been intermittent, based on the comings and goings of key leaders, but many Volksfront adherents still identify with the organization and socialize informally. A number of members also cross-identify with the white supremacist group Blood and Honour.
In addition to the second-degree murder conviction, Mount, who has a prior criminal history, was also found guilty of assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, and a number of “special” allegations. Prosecutors expect Mount’s sentence, to be handed down on September 6, to range from 25 years to life.