By Raul Castillo
Nov 29, 2023, 7:17 PM EST
Franklin Sechriest, a 19-year-old from San Marcos, Texas, was sentenced this Wednesday to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his central role in the arson that affected Congregation Beth Israel in Austin in October 2021.
The sentencing came after Sechriest pleaded guilty in federal court in April to arson and a hate crime, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Sechriest kept diaries full of virulent anti-Semitic statements, providing a disturbing window into his hate-filled ideology, according to information released by Fox News Digital.
According to court documents and confessions made during plea and sentencing hearings, Sechriest visited the synagogue three days before the fire with the clear intention of “exploring a target.”
Surveillance footage revealed Sechriest’s modus operandi the night of the fire. According to the outlet, he was seen carrying a five-gallon container and toilet paper as he headed toward the synagogue sanctuary.
A few moments later, cameras captured the start of a fire, and Sechriest was observed fleeing the scene toward the driver’s door of a vehicle.
“Depraved and anti-Semitic attack”
The Austin Fire Department immediately responded to a citizen’s call, managing to extinguish the flames and prevent further damage. However, the shocking nature of the attack and its anti-Semitic motivation sparked widespread condemnation.
In a journal entry dated the same day as the fire, Sechriest explicitly confessed: “I set fire to a synagogue.” Subsequent pages of his diary revealed that she was actively monitoring media reports to follow the progress of the investigation into the fire, Fox News detailed.
Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division condemned the act as a “depraved and anti-Semitic attack” intended to sow fear in the Jewish community and intimidate its parishioners.
Clarke stated that attacks against Jews and arson aimed at desecrating synagogues have no place in today’s society, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively prosecute anti-Semitic violence.
United States Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas expressed his strong commitment to victims and his determination to combat hate crimes. He stressed that no one should fear hate-fueled violence in their daily lives or see their place of worship and community become a target of such actions.
“We are firmly committed to those affected by this arson, and my office will continue to combat hate criminal acts as we seek justice for the victims,” prosecutor Esparza was quoted as saying.
The sentencing comes amid anticipation over the criminal future of Jason Eaton, the man accused of shooting three Palestinian college students in Vermont. The authorities are investigating whether, as the family claims, it was a hate crime.
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