Jackson Synagogue Burning Suspect Indicted on State Charges With Hate Crimes Enhancement
Nick Judin
by Nick Judin
January 13, 2026
Stephen Spencer Pittman (inset) faces state charges of first-degree arson of a place of worship for the Jan. 10, 2026, burning of parts of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss. Here, debris is seen scattered outside the broken windows of the synagogue on Jan. 12, 2026. Photo courtesy Coahoma Community College / MFP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis
Three days after flames engulfed the historic Beth Israel Congregation, destroying part of Jackson’s only synagogue, state prosecutors have charged alleged perpetrator Stephen Spencer Pittman with first-degree arson of a place of worship, enhanced with a hate-crime penalty.
Pittman, a white 19-year-old man from Madison, Mississippi, remains hospitalized from injuries authorities say he acquired during the alleged commission of Saturday’s attack on Beth Israel. After being arraigned on federal charges on Monday while declaring “Jesus Christ is Lord” to a federal judge, he is expected to face preliminary court hearings next Tuesday, Jan. 20.
An indictment naming Stephen Spencer Pittman
Read Stephen Spencer Pittman’s Jan. 13, 2026, indicted for the burning of Beth Israel Congregation in Hinds County, Miss.
District Attorney Jody Owens released a statement as he announced the indictment on Tuesday.
“Beth Israel Congregation has endured violence in its history, including a 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing during the civil-rights era, and this case arises amid a documented increase in attacks on houses of worship across the United States, including arson, vandalism, and other acts of target violence,” he said. “Such crimes are intended to intimidate entire religious communities. Violence directed at any place of worship, regardless of faith, will not be tolerated in Jackson, Mississippi.”
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/jackson-synagogue-burning-suspect-indicted-on-state-charges-with-hate-crimes-enhancement/
