JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The man accused of setting fire to a Mississippi synagogue pleaded not guilty to a federal arson charge on Tuesday.

The fire badly damaged the Beth Israel Congregation, a historic synagogue that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 for the congregation’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. No one was injured in the blaze, which ripped through the building shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10.

During the hearing, Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac denied bond for Stephen Spencer Pittman, ruling that he should be held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service through the duration of his trial.

The 19-year-old suspect appeared in court with both of his hands and ankles bandaged from burn wounds and a Bible sitting in front of him. The courtroom was packed with spectators, including several members of the Beth Israel Congregation.

The prosecutor, Matthew Wade Allen, argued Pittman should not receive bond because there is a serious risk he will obstruct justice or threaten, injure or intimidate a witness or juror, such as his parents and members of the Beth Israel Congregation.

FBI Special Agent Ariel Williams testified that Pittman’s parents said they noticed behavior changes in their son since he returned home on winter break. Pittman’s mother told the FBI their family pets were afraid of her son and that she considered locking her bedroom door at night out of fear of his behavior, Williams said.

Williams also testified that Pittman’s father told the FBI about an incident where Pittman “bowed up” in his father’s face, after his father had attempted to correct him for saying something offensive to Pittman’s mother.

Leading up to the synagogue fire, several witness, including Pittman’s parents, told the FBI they heard Pittman make antisemitic comments and members of Pittman’s gym heard him say he wanted to burn a synagogue, Williams said.

Mike Scott, Pittman’s public defender, argued Pittman did not pose a danger to the community. He also said Pittman suffered third-degree burns and incarcerating Pittman could pose a risk to his health.

Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Pittman confessed to lighting a fire inside the building, referring to it as “the synagogue of Satan,” according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court.

Pittman is charged with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. He has also been indicted on a state charge of willfully and maliciously setting fire to a synagogue. The indictment includes a sentencing enhancement for a hate crime.

Pittman faces five to 20 years in prison for the federal charge. The state charge carries a sentence of 5 to 30 years in prison, with the possibility of up to 60 years if he is found to have committed a hate crime.

The judge set Pittman’s trial for Feb. 23.

• The Jackson City Council has passed a resolution asking the state of Mississippi to take back maintenance of Medgar Evers Boulevard.
• The city took control of the road in 1986 but now cites financial constraints as a reason for the transfer.
• A 2002 state law requires the road to meet state construction standards before it can be returned, a condition not yet met.
• A federally funded project is currently underway to upgrade the boulevard, which could satisfy the state’s requirements for a transfer.

The Jackson City Council, backed by Mayor John Horhn, is pushing Mississippi to reclaim Medgar Evers Boulevard — a move supporters say is long overdue, and critics say jumps the gun under state law.

The resolution asks the Mississippi Transportation Commission and Mississippi Department of Transportation to resume responsibility for the roadway, describing it as “a major roadway of statewide importance” whose long-term maintenance requires state-level resources.

But council members were split over whether the city should formally ask for the transfer now or wait until the road meets state construction standards, a legal requirement that remains unresolved.

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How Medgar Evers Boulevard became a city road

During the meeting, Horhn said the city’s responsibility for Medgar Evers Boulevard dates back to a very different era at City Hall.

In 1986, then-Mayor Dale Danks asked the state to hand over several major highways inside Jackson’s city limits, including Medgar Evers Boulevard, State Street, Woodrow Wilson Avenue, and parts of U.S. Highway 80. At the time, Danks said the city could maintain them better on its own as “the city was flush with cash.”

That calculation didn’t age well. While Jackson may have had plenty of dollars to spend in the 1980s, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes’ resolution notes the “City of Jackson is currently experiencing financial and operational constraints that limit its ability to adequately maintain major state-designed thoroughfares.” 

In 2002, the Legislature changed the rules, passing a law that says if a city wants to give a road back, it has to first bring it up to state construction standards. It was this law, Mississippi Code § 65-3-99, that gave Ward 7 Councilman Kevin Parkinson pause about the resolution.

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Medgar Evers Boulevard, Parkinson said, does not yet meet those standards. Parkinson proposed amending the resolution to request the transfer only after the road meets state standards. That amendment failed on a 2-5 vote. Only Parkinson and Ward 4 Councilman and Council President Brian Grizzell voted in favor of the amendment.

“Some would say it makes us look a little foolish to pass a resolution knowing that it can’t be done at this time,” Parkinson said. “I don’t want to vote this down because I really, really, really want to give this to the state. But the reality is, it’s not going to happen now.”

Stokes: waiting misses the point

Stokes, who authored the resolution and represents the area Medgar Evers Boulevard runs through, said he disagreed with waiting.

Stokes said he believes the condition of the road — and the state’s role in maintaining it — can’t be separated from its history and who it was named after.