Amish Hair Convictions Overturned by Court: Religious Beliefs at Heart of Court's Decision
The convictions of 16 Amish men and women in Ohio found guilty of beard- and hair-cutting attacks on fellow members of their faith have been overturned by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Appeals Court determined that the jury in the case was given incorrect instructions on how to deliberate the role of religion in the attacks, documents from the case state.
"No one questions that the assaults occurred, and only a few defendants question their participation in them. The central issue at trial was whether the defendants committed the assaults 'because of' the religion of the victims," the decision from the Appeals Court read. "When all is said and done, considerable evidence supported the defendants' theory that interpersonal and intrafamily disagreements, not the victims' religious beliefs, sparked the attacks."
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In 2012, Samuel Mullet Sr., along with 15 of his followers, were found guilty of cutting or shaving the beards and hair of Amish people who left his group apparently over religious disagreements. There were five attacks throughout the Ohio Amish communities in 2011. Mullet led a breakaway Amish group and reportedly "forced extreme punishments" on those who defied him, according to witness testimony in a federal affidavit.
The attacks were classified as hate crimes, given the nature of the attack and the role that beards and hair play in the Amish community. The FBI and U.S. Attorney's office oversaw the prosecution of Mullet and his followers.
Mullet and his group wanted to "seek revenge and punish the departing families. In doing so, the defendants forcibly restrained multiple Amish men and cut off their beards and head hair with scissors and battery-powered clippers, causing bodily injury to these men while also injuring others who attempted to stop the attacks. In the Amish religion, a man's beard and head hair are sacred," the federal documents stated.
"The beard for Amish men is a symbol of their adult manhood. So to cut their beard is an assault on not only their personal identity but also on their religious identity and their religious faith," Donald Kraybill, professor at Elizabethtown College and an Amish expert, told The Plain Dealer.
U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach released a statement after the decision from the Appeals Court was read.
"We respectfully disagree with the two judges who reversed the defendants' hate crime convictions based on a jury instruction," Dettelbach said. "We remain in awe of the courage of the victims in this case, who were subject to violent attacks by the defendants. We are reviewing the opinion and considering our options."
Mullet is serving a 15-year sentence and will not be released immediately; eight others will also continue to serve time for lesser crimes. They could all face a re-trial if the U.S. Attorney's office chooses to go that route.
