The 19-year-old accused of setting Mississippi’s oldest synagogue on fire is looking to delay his trial.
Stephen Spencer Pittman, the alleged Beth Israel Congregation arsonist, has requested that the federal court in Jackson hold his trial at a later date so that his legal counsel can have additional time to review discovery materials in his case and confer with him about the charges he’s facing. He is currently scheduled to appear in court on April 6.
“The defendant, Stephen Spencer Pittman, requests that the trial date scheduled for April 6, 2026, be continued on the grounds that defense counsel needs additional time to review discovery materials, meet with the defendant, and investigate the alleged charges,” a legal filing by Pittman’s legal counsel reads. “The Assistant United States Attorney, Matthew Allen, Esq., has been contacted and has no objection to this motion.”
Pittman, a Madison native, pleaded not guilty to federal charges linked to his alleged role in setting the synagogue ablaze on Jan. 10. The U.S. Department of Justice initially charged him with arson, later elevating the charge to include a civil rights offense. Pittman also faces an additional charge of first-degree arson with a hate crime enhancement on the state level.
A graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison before going on to play baseball at Coahoma Community College, Pittman confessed to breaking into Beth Israel, dousing areas of the synagogue with gasoline, and setting fire to the place of worship, the FBI said. The crime was captured on video.
The defendant’s father turned him in. According to investigators, he’s the one who gave them a picture showing his son had texted him from the crime scene. He told agents that his son confessed to setting the building on fire.
While no congregants of Beth Israel were physically injured during the blaze, the emotional toll has been a combination of discouragement and encouragement, according to synagogue officials. Congregation President Zach Shemper has vowed to rebuild the synagogue as several area churches have opened their doors to Beth Israel in the meantime.
Churches that have made their campuses available or offered resources to the people of Beth Israel include Northminster Baptist Church, St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church, and Fondren Church, among others. Galloway United Methodist Church hosted leaders from multiple area churches for a fundraiser in February, with the proceeds going to Beth Israel’s restoration efforts.
Beth Israel Congregation was established in Jackson in 1860 and is the city’s lone synagogue. The place of worship also hosts the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. The center provides Jewish religious school programs and rabbinical services to more than 70 congregations across Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
No stranger to attacks and threats, Beth Israel was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 due to its role in the Civil Rights Movement. In December 2023, Beth Israel was one of hundreds of synagogues across the U.S. to be subjected to bomb threats, elevating concerns of a growing sentiment of antisemitism across the nation.