Wisconsin ? A white man was charged Tuesday with murdering a Hmong hunter in the woods in a slaying that rekindled racial tensions in Wisconsin and raised fears among Southeast Asian immigrants that the killing was payback.

Authorities allege that James Nichols, 28, shot and stabbed Cha Vang, 30, whose body was found Jan. 6 in a wildlife refuge near Green Bay where both were hunting squirrels.

Nichols was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail Tuesday, and a preliminary hearing was set for Feb. 14.

District Attorney Brent DeBord gave no motive for the killing, which Vang’s family said appeared to be racially motivated. Nicholas has claimed self-defense, according to the complaint.

Two years ago, a Hmong deer hunter shot six white hunters to death after being accused of trespassing in the Wisconsin woods. He said the whites shouted racial epithets at him and opened fire first. He is serving life sentences.