Was Alleged Massachusetts Spree Killer a Neo-Nazi? Keith Luke Makes it Official

Keith Luke — the 22-year-old white supremacist accused of carrying out a racially motivated rape and murder spree in Brockton, Mass., the day after Barack Obama was inaugurated as the nation’s first black president — appeared in court last week with a jagged swastika freshly carved into his forehead.

Authorities said Luke somehow managed to carve the swastika himself within a special unit at Plymouth County Jail, where he’s locked down for 23 hours a day and monitored by camera in his cell. As the Brockton daily newspaper The Enterprise reported: “It was not known exactly how he was able to etch the swastika into his flesh, but Luke is given a disposable razor to use for 20 minutes, three times a week.”

Luke has further altered his appearance since his arrest by shaving his head, growing a beard and shedding what appears to be at least 50 pounds.

On a video of last week’s arraignment, Luke appears bemused as he pleads not guilty to all charges against him, which include two counts of murder, four counts of aggravated rape, six counts of attempted murder, armed home invasion, kidnapping and a bundle of firearms charges.

The Enterprise reported that during the 10-minute court hearing, “Luke alternately smirked at the judge and craned his neck to glare at the victims’ families. The victims’ families silently stared back at the suspect.”

Luke stands accused of shooting to death two Cape Verdean immigrants and raping and attempting to murder a third. According to law enforcement reports, Luke told police that he was “fighting for a dying race” and that he decided to kill blacks, Latinos and Jews after reading about “the demise of the white race” on white supremacist websites such as PodBlanc, which glorifies racist “lone-wolf” killers.

Luke, who was carrying 200 rounds of ammunition on the day he was arrested, reportedly told police that after randomly gunning down as many non-whites as he could, he planned to shoot-up a bingo game that night at a local synagogue.

He’s been held without bail since his Jan. 21 arrest.