JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The man accused of the arson attack at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson has requested for his federal trial to be continued again.

According to court documents, Stephen Spencer Pittman asked the court to move the trial date from August 3, 2026, saying the defense counsel needs further time to meet with him and investigate the alleged charges.

Pittman previously pled not guilty after he was indicted for arson, damage to religious property and use of fire to commit any felony.

He is also facing a state charge for first-degree arson of a place of worship. The state indictment also included a hate-crime sentencing enhancement, alleging the offense was committed because of the actual or perceived religion of the victim.


Federal trial for Beth Israel arson suspect continued to August

According to the FBI, Pittman targeted Beth Israel Congregation on January 10, 2026, and confessed what he had done to his father, who turned him in to authorities after observing burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands and face.

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

At a first appearance hearing last week in federal court, a public defender was appointed for Pittman, who attended via video conference call from a hospital bed. Both of his hands were visibly bandaged. He told the judge that he was a high school graduate and had three semesters of college.

The fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation shortly after 3 a.m. on January 10, 2026. No congregants or firefighters were injured. Security camera video released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded man using a gas can to pour liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.

Picture shows suspect setting fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss. (Courtesy: Beth Israel Congregation)Boards cover the charred remains of the Beth Israel Congregation library, which was set on fire early Saturday morning, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Jackson, Mississippi. (AP Photo / Sophie Bates)This photo provided by Beth Israel Congregation shows damage sustained during a fire, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Beth Israel Congregation, in Jackson, Miss. (Beth Israel Congregation via AP)This photo provided by Beth Israel Congregation shows damage sustained during a fire, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Beth Israel Congregation, in Jackson, Miss. (Beth Israel Congregation via AP)This photo provided by Beth Israel Congregation shows damage sustained during a fire, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Beth Israel Congregation, in Jackson, Miss. (Beth Israel Congregation via AP)This photo provided by Beth Israel Congregation shows damage sustained during a fire, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Beth Israel Congregation, in Jackson, Miss. (Beth Israel Congregation via AP)

The weekend fire badly damaged the 165-year-old synagogue’s library and administrative offices. Five Torahs — the sacred scrolls with the text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — located inside the sanctuary were being assessed for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most severe damage was done, were destroyed. One Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass and was not damaged in the fire, according to the congregation.

The suspect’s father contacted the FBI and said his son had confessed to setting the building on fire. Pittman had texted his father a photo of the rear of the synagogue before the fire, with the message, “There’s a furnace in the back.” His father had pleaded with his son to return home, but “Pittman replied back by saying he was due for a homerun and ‘I did my research,’” the affidavit said.

During an interview with investigators, Pittman said he had stopped at a gas station on his way to the synagogue to purchase the gas used in the fire. He also took the license plate off his vehicle at the gas station. He used an ax to break out a window of the synagogue, poured gas inside and used a torch lighter to start the fire, the FBI affidavit said.

The FBI later recovered a burned cellphone believed to be Pittman’s and took possession of a hand torch that a congregant had found.

Pittman attended St. Joseph High School in Jackson and was previously enrolled at Coahoma Community College (CCC) in Clarksdale.

Beth Israel Congregation is accepting donations at bethisraelms.org for the Beth Israel Rebuilding Fund.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.