Austin, TX

Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Arson And Hate Crime For Setting Austin Synagogue Ablaze

Published

2 years ago

April 7, 2023

Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Arson And Hate Crime For Setting Austin Synagogue Ablaze

Topline

A Texas man pleaded responsible on Friday to arson and to committing a hate crime for allegedly setting the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Austin, Texas, on hearth in October 2021, the Division of Justice introduced Friday, amid a string of antisemitic assaults and hate speech.

The Justice Division introduced a Texas man pleaded responsible Friday to arson and to committing a hate … [+] crime in connection to a hearth at a synagogue in Austin, Texas.

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Key Info

Franklin Barrett Sechriest, 20, pleaded responsible in a federal court docket in San Antonio, Texas, to all counts, based on a DOJ assertion.

Prosecutors declare Sechriest had gone to the synagogue to “scout out a goal,” based on journal entries discovered at his residence.

Seschriest had been charged by a federal grand jury in March 2022 with a number of civil rights violations, together with one depend of arson, one depend of harm to non secular property and one depend of setting hearth to commit a federal crime, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23.He faces as much as 20 years in jail and a $250,000 positive.

In an announcement, U.S. Legal professional Jaime Esparza known as the fireplace a “hate-filled” crime meant to “intimidate and undermine the wellbeing of your entire Jewish group.”

The hearth on the synagogue was one in all a number of antisemitic assaults, together with the lethal capturing at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018 in addition to a January 2022 kidnapping throughout Saturday morning temple service at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, through which a Jewish rabbi was taken hostage.

Key Background

Federal officers declare Sechriest, who was 18 on the time and a member of the Texas State Guard, set the synagogue on hearth round 9 p.m. on the night time of Halloween in 2021. Surveillance footage later revealed him carrying a five-gallon container and bathroom paper into the synagogue’s sanctuary, the place the DOJ says he began the fireplace earlier than rapidly working away to a automobile parked exterior. FBI brokers later searched Sechriest’s home after tracing his automobile, discovering a receipt for the container and journal entries the place Sechriest documented his “hatred of and contempt for individuals of the Jewish religion.” A type of journal entries included the admission: “I set a synagogue on hearth,” the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Massive Quantity

$200,000. That’s how a lot injury the fireplace prompted, based on the Justice Division, which confirmed nobody was harm within the hearth.

Tangent

Latest antisemitic incidents in Texas and across the nation have drawn widespread condemnation, together with from President Joe Biden, who condemned a sequence of assaults in New York Metropolis, Salt Lake Metropolis and Los Angeles as “despicable, unconscionable” and “un-American” in a Could 2021 assertion (Biden issued one other assertion final December, calling on political leaders to begin “rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides”). Simone Talma Flowers, the director of the Interfaith Council of Central Texas, additionally condemned the fireplace on the Austin synagogue, saying, “hateful acts of intimidation to incite violence are unacceptable, and we is not going to be silent.” Following a sequence of high-profile antisemitic feedback in latest months totally on social media—together with posts from controversial artist Kanye West and a hyperlink to an anti-Jewish documentary posted by NBA star Kyrie Irving—second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who’s Jewish, mentioned there was an “epidemic of hate” and that “individuals are not saying the quiet components out loud, they’re screaming them.”

Additional Studying

‘Scout a goal’: Suspect in Congregation Beth Israel arson stored diary, feds say (Austin American-Statesman)

Texas man pleads responsible to setting hearth to Austin synagogue (Fort Price Star-Telegram)

Central Texas religion leaders and politicians rebuke antisemitic incidents after hearth exterior Austin synagogue (Texas Tribune)

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Austin, TX

This Texas city ranks among 10 best to live in the US. See full list, how others scored

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

This Texas city ranks among 10 best to live in the US. See full list, how others scored

A Texas city has been named among the top ten U.S. cities to live in over the next two years.

Ten Texas cities were included in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Places to Live list. For the annual rankings, U.S. News analyzed 150 major cities in the U.S. based on quality of life, job market, value of living and people’s desire to live in the area.

How did your city fare on the list? Here’s a breakdown of the data.

LIST: 10 best US cities to live

Texas’ capital secured a spot in the top 10 places to live, as determined by U.S. News.

Naples, Florida
Boise, Idaho
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Greenville, South Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Huntsville, Alabama
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Austin, Texas
Boulder, Colorado

Austin offers healthy balance of work and pleasure, US News says

Austin had an overall score of 6.8 out of 10, compared to Naples’ score of 7.1. The Texas capital also scored 6.8 in the quality of life index, with a value index score of 6.3.

“With the slogan ‘Keep Austin Weird,’ this Texas city is laid-back to the point that if you’re dressing up, it must be a life event,” the U.S. News analysis says. “People here enjoy the outdoors, even more so with their dogs. Austin has a contagious vibrancy and enthusiasm.”

U.S. News notes Austin’s strongest assets are a mix of work and pleasure. The number of companies headquartered in Austin makes it attractive to working professionals, especially those in technology, government, education, and health care. But the capital is far from being “all work, no play.” Its claim as the live music capital of the world invites music lovers to take a listen, whether at the airport, along streets downtown, or at one of the approximate 200 venues throughout the area.

Austin also ranked no. 32 on U.S. News’ Best Places to Retire in 2025 list.

LIST: Best Texas cities to live

Here are the rankings and scores U.S. News gave for the ten Texas cities included in the list:

Ranking	City	Overall Score	Quality of Life	Value Index
#9	Austin	6.8	6.8	6.3
#48	McAllen	6.4	6.6	7.6
#62	El Paso	6.3	6.5	7.3
#77	Corpus Christi	6.2	5.8	7.0
#87	Brownsville	6.2	6.2	7.7
#89	San Antonio	6.1	6.1	6.8
#95	Dallas	6.1	6.4	5.6
#97	Houston	6.1	5.9	6.2
#99	Beaumont	6.1	5.5	7.3
#107	Killeen	6.0	5.9	7.3

Table by Alexis Simmerman/American-Statesman | Data by U.S. News & World Report

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Austin, TX

(2013) Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin •

Published

9 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

(2013) Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin •

Abigail Noel FISHER, Petitioner v. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN et al. No. 11-345. Supreme Court of United States. Argued October 10, 2012. Decided June 24, 2013. Bert W. Rein, Washington, DC, Petitioner. Gregory G. Garre, Washington, DC, for Respondents. Donald B. Verilli, Jr., for … Read More(2013) Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin

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Austin, TX

The drive by No. 3 Texas to top of SEC fueled by defense with Kentucky

Published

20 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

The drive by No. 3 Texas to top of SEC fueled by defense with Kentucky

AUSTIN, Texas — Look under the hood of Texas’ drive to the top of the Southeastern Conference standings in its first season in the league and it is easy to see what generates the horsepower: Defense.

Texas (9-1, 5-1 SEC) plays Kentucky (4-6, 1-6) on Saturday and the Longhorns rank No. 1 in total defense, No. 1 in fewest passing yards allowed and No. 4 in points allowed per game (11.6). With two games left in the regular season, the Longhorns are tied for first in the SEC and rank No. 3 in the College Football Playoff.

This is from the team that boasted the “All gas, no brakes” motto about explosive offense when coach Steve Sarkisian took over the program in 2021.

“I love it what we’re doing defensively,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t think our guys believe that anyone can move the ball on them, that anyone’s going to score. And that’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

Texas has allowed 10 points or less five times this season, which started with a shutout and includes two games of not allowing a touchdown. The secondary has surrendered just three passing touchdowns while taking away 15 interceptions. Senior cornerback Jahdae Barron leads the team with four.

“The experience of our secondary is what has led to this,” Sarkisian said of the turnover-to-touchdowns ratio. “We just don’t blow coverages … They make every pass feel contested.”

Texas needs a win in its final two games to stay on track for the SEC championship game and hold a position in the playoff hunt as one of the top four seeds. Kentucky would love to play the spoiler in an otherwise dismal season.

Texas will be Kentucky’s fourth opponent ranked seventh or higher. The Wildcats beat Mississippi in the first one, then lost to Georgia and Tennessee by a total of eight points. The Wildcats have played in a bowl the last eight seasons and need to win their final two games to keep that streak alive.

“I want to finish strong,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.

Ewers’ final home game?

Texas junior quarterback Quinn Ewers may be playing his final home game at Texas. The three-year starter led the Longhorns to the playoff last season, then opted to return instead of turning pro. An abdomen injury has hampered his season, but Ewers has still passed for 1,898 yards and 21 touchdowns. He avoided a question from reporters if this could be his final home game. Texas will honor its seniors before kickoff.

Inside outside

Texas senior defensive tackle Alfred Collins had the best game of his career last week against Arkansas with a sack, and a forced fumble that helped closed out the victory. At 6-foot-5, 325 pounds, he has emerged as the dominant pocket pusher to compliment the edge rush of standout freshman Colin Simmons, who leads Texas with six sacks.

Waiting for Vandagriff

Ewers and Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff were both ranked among the top high school quarterbacks in the country in the 2021 recruiting class. The Wildcats are waiting for the Georgia transfer to have a breakout game this season. He has passed for 1,542 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 243 yards passing in Kentucky’s win over Ole Miss were a career high.

Red zone matchup

Texas had another sluggish game on offense in last week’s win at Arkansas and now faces a Kentucky defense that rates among the best in the country when backed up near its own goal line. The Wildcats rank sixth nationally and best in the SEC in red zone defense.

Terrific tight end

For all of its speed on the edges in the passing attack, it is Texas tight end Gunnar Helm who has been the most reliable receiver from game to game. His 37 catches for a 493 yards lead the team in both categories and he has three touchdowns.

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