(Photo from Beth Israel Congregation)
- The court order states that there is reason to believe that Pittman “may presently be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent.”
Stephen Spencer Pittman, the accused Beth Israel arsonist, has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac granted Pittman’s defense counsel’s request for the evaluation.
In a motion, Pittman’s public defender, Michael L. Scott, argued that Pittman “may currently be suffering from an undefined mental disease,” which his defense counsel believes may make him incompetent to stand trial.
Pittman, a 19-year-old from Madison, has been accused of setting fire to the Beth Israel Congregation, Mississippi’s largest Jewish synagogue, on January 10.
Pittman was charged with arson, damage to religious property, and use of fire to commit a felony.
The court order states that there is reason to believe that Pittman “may presently be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent.”
The U.S. Marshal Service has been directed to take Pittman to a facility for the evaluation.
Pittman is currently being held in the Forrest County Jail without bond.
The order from the Magistrate is shown below.
