A federal judge on Thursday reset the trial for a Madison man accused of setting fire to Mississippi’s largest synagogue, setting a new start date of June 1, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate granted a request from federal public defender Michael Scott to delay the case so Scott could meet with the defendant, review discovery and investigate the charges, the filings show. Federal prosecutors did not oppose the motion, the records indicate.
Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, faces three federal counts: arson, damage to religious property and using fire to commit a felony, according to the indictment. Pittman has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, court records show.
Authorities say the Jan. 10 fire heavily damaged the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue in northeast Jackson. Court documents say Pittman is accused of breaking into the synagogue, dousing the lobby with gasoline and setting it afire, charring portions of the one-story brick building and leaving smoke damage throughout. A photo provided to Mississippi Today identified a Snapchat account labeled “Spencer” as belonging to Pittman.
Pittman also faces a state first-degree arson charge with an enhancement under a Mississippi law for “offenses committed for discriminatory reasons,” according to the state indictment. A Hinds County grand jury indicted him after he was arrested at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was being treated for burns a few hours after the blaze, court records show. He remains jailed after U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac deemed him a threat to public safety at a February detention hearing. An FBI agent testified at that hearing that Pittman had made antisemitic statements in the weeks before the attack and behaved in a way that left relatives fearful, court testimony shows.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
