Jonathan Felkel received the maximum sentence July 16 for violating his Black neighbor’s housing rights in a racially motivated attack last summer.
Felkel was sentenced to 108 months, or nine years, in federal prison with three years of supervised release during an hour-long hearing. He was also the first person charged under Richland County’s Hate Intimidation ordinance, which, without a hate crime law in South Carolina, took the case to federal court.
The case came to a close just a day before the one-year anniversary of Felkel, 34, shooting a semiautomatic rifle at Black Columbia resident Jarvis McKenzie on July 17, 2025.
The process was an “almost unheard of” example of “quick justice” and the collaboration between agencies, said Bryan Stirling, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. He was joined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, prosecutors of the case, and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott for a press conference after the hearing July 16.
“I did not hear anybody, the sheriff’s department or the U.S. Attorney’s Office, say this wasn’t that serious,” said Tyler Bailey, McKenzie’s attorney. “‘Oh, he wasn’t shot.’ That has never been uttered off of anybody’s tongue or mouth. So I’m satisfied not only with the seriousness that they took, but their position to aggressively move it forward.”
- Felkel faced up to 10 years in prison for the housing charge and another 10 years for the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
- The latter charge was dropped in court July 16, which McKenzie’s attorney Tyler Bailey said was part of Felkel’s plea deal.
“His use of the firearm, I think, was a big factor in the judge giving the max sentence,” Bailey said, “and quote Judge Lewis said, ‘I’m going to give the victim the max that he asked for.’ I appreciate that more than the dismissal.”
On a local level, Felkel is facing charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in addition to his charge for hate intimidation. Those charges are still pending.
The hate intimidation misdemeanor carries a fine up to $500 and 30 days in jail.
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