A January bombing that authorities initially labeled a possible hate crime targeting a local NAACP headquarters was actually carried out by a man upset at his accountant, according to published reports.
According to the CBS affiliate in Denver, police have arrested Thaddeus Murphy, 44, for the pipe bomb explosion that inflicted minor damage on the side of a building housing both the NAACP office and the office of preparer Steven Dehaven.
Dehaven reportedly prepared taxes for Murphy, who has prior felony convictions and who admitted to authorities after his arrest that he “flipped out” because of financial problems, including owed taxes, and because he was unable to retrieve tax records needed for a bankruptcy filing, outlets reported.
The blast happened Jan. 6 outside a barbershop that shares a building with the Colorado Springs NAACP chapter. There were no injuries.
