Alabama Church Fires

2009 Alabama Church Fire Info 

Three years later: Three more churches burned.

18 Feb 09: Alabama church fires stir fears of arson

Birmingham, Ala. -- Suspicious fires destroyed two churches and damaged a third in adjoining counties within 10 hours over the weekend, stoking fears of a new round of church arsons in rural Alabama.

May 28, 2009: 3 arrested for east Alabama church fires

Three Auburn residents were charged with the series of church fires that occurred in Lee and Chambers counties in east Alabama in February of 09. Investigation Continues... there may be more arrests.

Members of churches destroyed by arson relying on faith

The congregations of two Chambers County churches have risen from the ashes left after each church was destroyed by fire more than three months ago.

May 30, 2009: Three Auburn residents charged in church fires - News - Ledger-Enquirer.com

An informative article with video and photos.

Church Members React to Arrest of Arson Suspects

The church members react as expected: They forgive... but it hurts and is hard to forget.

Possible Suspect MySpace Profiles 

Found and Published on June 02, 09.

Phillip Joel Chapman's Profile

Phil: 20 / male, AUBURN
*Friends with Cody, Taylor and 'mikey murder'

Favorite Books:
the anarchist cookbook, recipes for disaster, let the fury have the hour, please kill me

Cody Lauren Jasper's Private Profile

*CODY*CLEPTO*: 20 / female, Aurburn
*Friends with Phil and Taylor

Taylor Hensley Jennings's Profile

Cruel T: 20 / male, AUBURN
* Atheist
* Friends with Phil and Cody and Chris.

A friend left this comment on his profile:
"May 31 2009 3:24 AM
Why did you do it? Man now i got my work cut out for me.. I will get your name cleared brother"

Possible Profile for Christopher Michael Ware

Chris: 20 / male, AUBURN
* Atheist
* Friends with Taylor.

Second Profile for Christopher Michael Ware

mikey murder: 20/male AUBURN
[The blurb on Chris' profile says he's mikey murder. Some photos are the same.]
* Friends with Phil.

The Churches Rebuild 

Beauty from Ashes

Rehobeth Baptist Church in Lawley, Alabama

Our Story of the 2006 Alabama Church Fires
The church shares photos and info about the fire on their website. The rededication service for the new facility was February 3, 2008.

Ashby Baptist Church

The church started construction on a new building in January 2009. Photos and updates are posted on the church website. Here's a December 08 article about the rebuilding: Last of 9 burned Alabama churches to be rebuilt - Clanton Advertiser

Pleasant Sabine Baptist Church

During reconstruction, the predominately black church held services at the nearby predominately white Antioch Baptist Church. Both churches were set ablaze on February 3rd, but the Antioch building received only minor damage. The Boston Globe has a great article about this.

Rebuilt with the Construction help of Carpenters for Christ - a volunteer group who helps churches with their building projects. Birmingham-Southern College and the Cathedral Church of the Advent contributed to the rebuilding effort.

Galilee Baptist rises from ashes of arson

August 13, 07
Article in The Birmingham News about Galilee Baptist's new building.

Members of burned churches forge ahead with building plans, hope, forgiveness

Associated Baptist Press - Oct 5, 06
"Roughly eight months after arsonists destroyed several rural Baptist church buildings in Alabama, pastors and members from the victimized congregations joined to celebrate the churches' restoration Oct.1 with government officials and leaders from the college where two of the three arsonists were students."

VIDEO: Alabama Churches Unite After the Arsons

March, 2006 - The 700 Club aired a very good piece on what's been going on with the recovery of the Alabama Church fires. Video available at persecutionblog.com

Who are these guys? 

Get to know the three college kids who burned 9 Alabama churches...

The Unusual Suspects - TIME

Arrests of three promising college students in the Alabama church burnings have people asking, Why?

USATODAY.com - Arson suspects were stars at school

The arrests of three college students in a series of deliberately set fires at nine churches in rural Alabama derailed promising futures, according to some of their friends.

Raising Hell in Alabama

This interesting article tells us who people suspected might have set the fire... and gives more insight into the men who did.

Law and Justice 

Two Men Arrested in String of Alabama Church Fires

FOXNews.com - Two Men Arrested in String of Alabama Church Fires. Police arrested two men Wednesday in connection with a string of rural churchs fires which plagued Alabama in early February.

3 arrested in Alabama church fires - Mar 8, 2006

Investigators arrested a third Birmingham college student Wednesday in connection with 10 church fires in Alabama last month, federal law enforcement sources told CNN Wednesday.

3 Ex-College Students Sentenced to Prison For Alabama Church Blazes

Matthew Cloyd, 21, and Benjamin Moseley, 20, were sentenced to eight years each for the blazes, which terrorized rural, church-centered communities for weeks last year. Russell Lee DeBusk Jr., 20, wasn't involved in all the fires and was sentenced to seven years.

U.S. District Judge David Proctor also ordered $3.1 million in restitution payments by Cloyd and Moseley and $1.9 million by DeBusk. Following their release, each man must perform 300 hours of community service work at the burned-out churches.

Ex-Students Are Sentenced For Burning Rural Churches - New York Times

Three former college students who set fire to churches in rural Alabama in February 2006 were sentenced to prison on Monday on federal arson charges.

Summary News Articles 

Just the facts ma'am...

In Church Arsons, Justice Still Waits - TIME.com

An article from April 9, 2007 which tells the story from the first fire to the sentencing.

College Students Arrested For Church Arsons

Who did it and how did they catch them? MTV of all places will tell you.

Church Fires Started as a Joke and Cover-up

Brief but informative article.

Unrelated Church Fires 

A few other Alabama church fires happened in February 2006

Copycat Church Fire

Feb 13, 2006
Abandoned church in rural Alabama: White Plains Church of God

Suspect Arrested in Copycat Church Fire, A man described as mentally disturbed is jailed on suspicion of setting fire to an abandoned church in what authorities said was a copycat of the recent church arsons in rural Alabama.

NPR Stories 

Listen to several NPR stories and interviews about the fires and arsonists.

Students Face Long Sentences in Church Arson Case : NPR

Three Alabama college students face dozens of years in prison if convicted on charges of burning five churches in the state. Their friends say they've thrown their lives away and don't understand why. The young men who face trial say it was a prank.

Displaced by Arson, Congregation Vows Strength : NPR

Debbie Elliott speaks with the Rev. James Posey, pastor of Morning Star Baptist in Boligee, Ala. -- one of at least 10 small rural churches targeted in a recent string of arson attacks. He spoke to his displaced flock Sunday in a sermon at a nearby church.

Alabama Churches Slowly Rise from the Ashes : NPR

One year has passed since nine churches in central and western Alabama were set on fire by three college-age students. Members continue to meet for worship as they begin rebuilding their churches; with a little help from volunteers.

Don't miss these articles 

Amid ashes, unity - As unsolved fires ravage Alabama churches, a racial barrier falls

Here's an excellent Boston Globe article written in February of 2006.
As unsolved fires ravage Alabama churches, a racial barrier falls

Victims of Church Fires Lose the Center of a Rural Life

Feb 11, 2006 New York Times article.

Relevant Links 

Websites related to Arson, Church Burning etc.

ATF Online - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Investigated the Alabama Church Fires.

Alabama Department of Insurance

At the time, they published news releases about the fires. Search the archives for "church fire 2006."

National Coalition for Burned Churches

"As we enter into the 21st Century, churches continue to burn on average at a rate of 15-20 per month."

Title 18, U.S.C., Section 247 -Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996

Prohibits (1) intentional defacement, damage, or destruction of any religious real property, because of the religious, racial, or ethnic characteristics of that property, or (2) intentional obstruction by force or threat of force, or attempts to obstruct any person in the enjoyment of that person's free exercise of religious beliefs. If the intent of the crime is motivated for reasons of religious animosity, it must be proven that the religious real property has a sufficient connection with interstate or foreign commerce. However, if the intent of the crime is racially motivated, there is no requirement to satisfy the interstate or foreign commerce clause.

ATF Threat Assessment Guide for Houses of Worship

ATF Tips to Protect Against Church Arson

Forgiveness and Repentence 

There's more to this story than drunk college kids and smoldering pews.

Parents of arsonist visit the churches he burned.

The parents of a former Birmingham college student who pleaded guilty in a series of rural church arsons visited with the congregation of one burned church, asking for forgiveness and expressing his remorse.

Birmingham-Southern College responds 

Two of the men arrested attended Birmingham-Southern College.

Birmingham-Southern College responds to arrest of students in Alabama church fire cases

Two of the men arrested attended Birmingham-Southern College.

Birmingham-Southern Raises Funds to Rebuild Churches Hit by Arsonists - Catholic Online

Sept. 1, 2006-Teams of Birmingham-Southern students, faculty, and staff this summer delivered checks to the 10 rural Alabama churches damaged or destroyed by fire in early February from the more than $350,000 donated to the college's Alabama Churches Rebuilding and Restoration Fund.