Montana man sentenced after body, firebombs and mass attack plans found in trailer
A Montana man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after investigators searching his trailer in a homicide case found Molotov cocktails and writings about planned mass-casualty attacks at a nearby resort and Montana schools, according to prosecutors.
Kadin Hawkeye Lewis, 24, of Park County, was sentenced on Wednesday in Billings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. He pleaded guilty in January to possession of unregistered destructive devices.
The case began on September 19, 2022, when a call to law enforcement led officers to Lewis’ travel trailer in Pray, an unincorporated community in southwestern Montana. Inside, officers found the body of a man with multiple gunshot wounds to the top and back of the head, according to court documents.
Court records said the dead man was later identified as a former boyfriend of Lewis’ mother. Lewis was charged with homicide in state court, but the case was dismissed.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the trailer and found eight Molotov cocktails stored in a cabinet, each bottle assembled with fuel and wicks, prosecutors said. They also found dozens of empty bottles and rags that could be used to assemble more devices.
Investigators also found racially charged writings and symbols on the trailer walls, including swastikas, SS bolts, figures in KKK robes, the 14 words and racial slurs, according to court documents. Other writings discussed Lewis’ hatred of minorities and admiration of Hitler.
In the journals, Lewis wrote about his admiration for mass shooters, including Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland High School shooter, and described using Molotov cocktails and firearms to attack Chico Hot Springs, a resort near Pray.
Prosecutors said he wrote about building a “kill count” as high as possible, aiming for between “17 and 30 casualties.”
Lewis also identified other hot spring resorts in Montana by name and location and wrote that he hoped his attack would inspire others, prosecutors said.
Court records said Lewis also wrote about committing a mass shooting at his former high schools in Montana. Prosecutors said the writings showed he had considered multiple targets and methods, including firearms and improvised incendiary devices.
The Molotov cocktail evidence was sent to the FBI Laboratory, where explosives experts determined the liquid inside the bottles was ignitable and would function as improvised incendiary devices, commonly known as homemade firebombs or Molotov cocktails.
Lewis was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
