Warren man charged with terrorizing Black family insists it had nothing to do with race, asks for forgiveness

A 24-year-old Warren man charged with terrorizing a Black family for three days earlier this month claimed Thursday that his alleged actions, including scrawling a swastika on their cars, had nothing to do with race and that he wants to be forgiven.

Michael Frederick was charged in Warren District Court with three counts of ethnic intimidation, four weapons offenses, and two counts of malicious destruction of property. In a court appearance via video, Frederick insisted he “acted way out of character.”

Frederick is accused of targeting the family of Eddie and Candace Hall in Warren, slashing their tires, hurling a rock through their window, scrawling racist graffiti on their cars, and firing shots into their home. Six 9mm shell casings were found outside their homes.

“My No. 1 priority out of this is for Mr. and Mrs. Hall to forgive me. I am extremely regretful for what I did,” Frederick said, even after Judge Michael Chupa ordered him not to talk about the case. “This wasn’t about the color of anyone’s skin.”

Asked if had any comments before bond was set, Fredericks responded, “I would like to make it as speedy and as painless as possible.”

Chupa set a $200,000 cash surety bond.

“If you have a disagreement with someone about facts in a conversation, try to figure things out,” Chupa told Frederick. “That’s what America is about. We have enough problems in this country without people shooting or violence or disruptions or riots or looting or burning over politics.”

Police said Frederick lives at his parents’ home in the same neighborhood as the Halls and has admitted he targeted their home.

Before the court hearing, Candace Hall said she’s willing to forgive whoever was responsible.

"We were terrorized for three weeks, so we want justice to be served," Candace Hall told WWJ on Wednesday. "It doesn't mean that we don't forgive him. It just means that ... when you commit a crime, you have to pay for the crime that you committed.”

During a news conference, Warren Mayor Jim Fouts called Frederick “a racist terrorist.”

In January 2017, audio recordings surfaced of Fouts using the n-word and comparing Black people to “chimps.”

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