A Massachusetts prisoner convicted of murder has sued the state’s prison system for not allowing him to use medicines for rituals including “dragon’s blood,” according to a report.
Daniel LaPlante, who killed a woman and two children two decades ago, is in custody at the MCI-Norfolk jail and is serving a life sentence, reported Boston Magazine.
LePlante contends that the state Department of Corrections has disallowed his Wiccan practices and rituals while behind bars.
He also requests “black opium,” ritual oils, and “honeysuckle,” according to the publication. In all, he has requested 26 different herbs that he needs to carry out rituals inside the prison.
The prisoner has also sought robes and around a dozen medallions.
LePlante sought certain cakes used during sermons to “excite the senses,” including carrot cake.
Von Thompson, a local pagan in the Boston area, says that LaPlante’s suit is giving members of the faith a bad name.
“We get so much misinformation spread about our religion, about our practices, that even a hint of anything out of the ordinary associated with Wicca gets blown out of proportion. It’s difficult to be Wiccan or pagan. Not only is our religion misunderstood, those misunderstandings also attract to us more than our fair share of crazy people,” he told the magazine.
MyFoxBoston.com reported that in all, LaPlante claims he has been denied 121 different items.
Some of the other items include candles, so-called power objects, teas, and others.
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