JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 20 — Stephen Spencer Pittman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal arson charge connected to a fire that badly damaged the Beth Israel Congregation, a historic synagogue in Mississippi.
The fire ripped through the building shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, and investigators said no one was injured. Beth Israel Congregation had previously been bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 for its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac denied bond for Pittman and ruled he should be held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service through the duration of his trial. At the hearing, Pittman appeared with both of his hands and ankles bandaged from burn wounds, with a Bible sitting in front of him. The courtroom was packed with spectators, including several members of the Beth Israel Congregation.
Prosecutor Matthew Wade Allen argued Pittman should not be released on bond, citing what he said was a serious risk that Pittman would obstruct justice or threaten, injure or intimidate a witness or juror, including Pittman’s parents and members of the Beth Israel Congregation.
FBI Special Agent Ariel Williams testified about statements Pittman’s parents made to the FBI after Pittman returned home on winter break. Williams said Pittman’s mother told investigators that family pets were afraid of her son and that she considered locking her bedroom door at night out of fear of his behavior. Williams also testified that Pittman’s father told the FBI about an incident in which Pittman “bowed up” in his father’s face after his father attempted to correct him for saying something offensive to Pittman’s mother.
Williams further testified that, leading up to the synagogue fire, multiple witnesses, including Pittman’s parents, told the FBI they heard Pittman make antisemitic comments. Williams said Pittman’s gym witnesses told investigators that Pittman said he wanted to burn a synagogue.
Pittman’s public defender, Mike Scott, argued that Pittman did not pose a danger to the community. Scott also said Pittman suffered third-degree burns and that incarcerating him could pose a risk to his health. Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The hearing also included testimony based on an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court. The affidavit said Pittman confessed to lighting a fire inside the building and referred to it as “the synagogue of Satan.”
Pittman is charged in federal court with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. He has also been indicted on a state charge of willfully and maliciously setting fire to a synagogue, and the state indictment includes a sentencing enhancement for a hate crime.
The federal charge carries a prison term of five to 20 years. The state charge carries a prison term of 5 to 30 years, with the possibility of up to 60 years if he is found to have committed a hate crime. The judge set Pittman’s trial for Feb. 23.