Caution tape and flowers cover the entrance to the Beth Israel Congregation, a synagogue that was set on fire early Saturday morning, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
- The teenager’s attorney asked for him to be released on bond, but that request was denied by the judge.
The 19-year-old accused of setting fire to parts of Jackson’s Beth Israel synagogue pleaded not guilty to a federal arson charge Tuesday afternoon. He was also denied bond.
Stephen Spencer Pittman appeared in person wearing an orange Madison County Jail jumpsuit and sandals. Pittman’s attorney, Michael Scott, asked for bond, citing the extent of his client’s injuries from the blaze. He said the teenager does not pose a threat to possible witnesses and has no criminal history.
Prosecutors argued against bond, saying Pittman’s alleged action was a “crime of violence.”
Federal Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac did not say whether setting the Beth Israel Synagogue was a “crime of violence,” but did agree that Pittman does pose a threat to possible witnesses, particularly his parents.
His father turned Pittman in after the son allegedly torched the library and administrative office of the 165-year-old Beth Israel Congregation and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life.
Prosecutors contend that Pittman set fire to the Jewish facility in the early morning hours of January 10 and referred to the building as the “synagogue of Satan.” He later told investigators that he set the blaze because of the synagogue’s “Jewish ties.”
During his court appearance on Tuesday, Pittman said little to his attorney, clasped his hands in his lap, and looked straight ahead during the more than two-hour hearing. He appeared ashen, and his brownish hair was matted in spots. His hands and ankles were still wrapped from burns suffered from allegedly setting the blaze.
The courtroom was packed with law students, a few of Pittman’s friends, and the media.
After his federal case, Pittman will also face state charges. Last week, a grand jury in Hinds County handed down an indictment on a first-degree arson charge with a hate crime enhancement.
The state charges in Hinds County are in addition to the federal charges Pittman now faces. With the hate crime enhancement added to the first-degree arson charge, Pittman faces up to 60 years in prison on top of any federal sentencing.
