![]() ![]() It was once believed that Hell-lord Mephisto was the creator of the Ghost Riders. And, one Ghost Rider is bad enough, but to face a whole army of them? GHOST RIDER: HEAVEN’S ON FIRE (2009) #6 and DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION (2018) #4 showed that it was a fate worse than death. They weren’t native to America but spanned countless countries, cultures, and eras. “Heaven’s Black Ops.” They were, as told in a flashback from GHOST RIDER (2006) #33, born out of a supreme being’s will to keep depravity and wickedness in check. I was among a team of reporters who covered the Ghost Riders trial for the Wisconsin State Journal.Įnter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.They are the Spirits of Vengeance. Top photo: A view of Rosa’s Cantina on the 1983 day the fire killed Catherine L. Howard was given a life sentence for murder and arson in Wisconsin and a six-year sentence for a drug conviction in Washington state. Highfill was sentenced to life in prison plus 34 years. He was also sentenced to life in prison for the second-degree murder of officer Orchard in Spokane, Wash. ĮPILOGUE: Alvin Hegge was sentenced to life in prison for murder conspiracy and given 30 years for arson and theft by fraud for his role in the Rosa’s Cantina fire.With chapters in Washington state, Billings, Mont., British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, police estimate the group has between 75 and 150 members. The Ghost Riders are considered to be very dangerous and are monitored closely by law officials, said Larry Boyd, chief sheriff’s deputy in Grant County, Wash., where the group was formed in the mid-1960s. “If he said to do something, it was done. ![]() “He was definitely in control of the Ghost Riders,” he said. Law enforcement officials who track the Ghost Riders in Washington state say the club has been one of the fastest growing groups in the country, but will be hurt by Hegge’s conviction.īrent Pfundheller, a detective with the Washington State Patrol in Olympia, said Hegge was a strong group leader. Howard also was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver cocaine, unlawful transport of firearms and use of a firearm in a felony, according to the U.S. Hegge also has been indicted in Spokane on a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver cocaine, according to the U.S. Two club associates have been convicted of the murder. Officer Brian Orchard was killed during a police stakeout of Ghost Riders suspected of selling stolen weapons. Jackson IIIĪn arrest warrant has been issued for Hegge in connection with the shooting death of a Spokane police officer in 1983, according to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office. Will Highfill sports a winged-skull tattoo. Washington state officials say they have waited for the trial here to end and will now extradite Hegge and Howard to face federal and state charges in Spokane. Two other members of the bikers group were convicted last spring on lesser charges in the case. Hegge out to be the kingpin who ran the entire operation. Kalal said the prosecution’s case was built “on a foundation of shifting sand. ![]() Hegge’s lawyer, Ralph Kalal, criticized the prosecutors for using convicted criminals to testify against Hegge. “The Ghost Riders are pretty much through,” he said. Robert DeChambeau, one of three prosecutors, said the verdict will significantly hurt the club. Rosa’s Cantina became a hangout for the Ghost Riders when they tried to establish a chapter in Madison during 19, but those plans were abandoned shortly after the fire, according to court records.ĭane County Assistant District Atty. Prosecutors contend the men planned to set the fire at the financially troubled tavern to collect insurance money and kill Christian, who the prosecutors say the three men believed to be a police informant.ĭefense attorneys contend the fire was accidental, caused by faulty wiring. ![]() Christian, 22, died in the March 1983 fire at Rosa’s Cantina, 5 miles southeast of Madison. They will be sentenced on the other charges later.Ĭatherine L. The men were sentenced to life imprisonment on the murder charge. Jackson IIIĪ Dane County Circuit Court jury deliberated for nine hours before delivering the verdict. Alvin Hegge in Dane County Circuit Court. Howard and Highfill also were convicted of endangering safety. The national president of the Ghost Riders motorcycle club and two other club members have been convicted of first-degree murder, arson and insurance fraud in a fatal tavern fire near here in 1983.Ĭonvicted Wednesday were Alvin Hegge, 45, president of the club, based in Washington state Scott Howard, 30 and Will Highfill, 41. This article appeared on of the national edition of ![]()
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