Baptist Pastor Christopher P. Daniels,40, has been arrested for second-degree arson in the burning down of his own church in Belton, South Carolina.
Daniels reported the fire himself. Previously, the church lost half of its congregation of 50 and was vandalized with gang-like graffiti. He could face 25 years in prison.
This is not exactly the type of case that you want to give a jury. If the police are correct that they have direct evidence of guilty, there is a high chance of a plea.
For the full story, click here.
Bron/Buddha/Jill,
All my joking aside, I do feel bad for those older ladies (noted in some of the links) who left their church soon after this pastor took over the flock about a year ago.
This pastor looks somewhat like the goateed pastor Rich Warren.
Bron: I remember Pecos Bill and the song, but not ol’ Pete.
FFLEO,
Good show! And the “Holy Cow Skool of Law” has a great reputation in the dairy industry. Ben and sometimes Jerry swears by them as producers of hormone-free quality counsel.
FFLEO:
bravo!
aint nobody can tell a story like a westerner, did that guy ride the fire tornado too like Pecos Pete?
FFLEO,
Sounds good. Or how about this one? Pastor and congregants were drinking gasoline because they were all out of strychnine that Sunday. One of the congregants was found wanting in the eyes of the lord and began to spit forth the gasoline with a mighty belch. At that moment god showed his power by striking the man down. And that is how all this came to pass.
Well, If I were a criminal defense attorney for the pastor, I would state that the good reverend was practicin’ his Sunday sermon and while a’ preachin’ *hellfire* n’ brimstone my client’s religious passion was so compelling and true that his words set the church ablaze. Now, this is similar to that bible story ‘bout Moses and the *Burning Bush* ‘cept tho’ the bush was ablaze it werent’ consumed, but my client’s church was…god works in mysterious ways and there is a divine purpose somewhere for that burnt-down house of the lord.
Not only that Your Honor, but my client had 3 upstanding eye witnesses who *witnessed*–religiously—the entire ‘conflagration without congregation’. I submit to the court that those 3 “gentlemen” would be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The guilty ‘party’ is not my client standing before you as a god fearin’ man of the cloth; rather Holy Smoke is to blame for the flame.
Full Disclosure: My JD is from the Holy Cow Skool of Law. Fully accredited by the not-so-better angels of my nature.
Bron,
Good point.
rcampbell,
I think this means god may be an unindicted co-conspirator.
Is this what they mean when they say about someone “he was on fire for the Lord”?
rcampbell:
Praying for an all powerful being to do your dirty work would probably not be willful, but it is certainly malicious though the concept implies some action on the prayer’s part. Now if you’re a witch and will the fire to start through use of your magic spells, you are criminally liable, as we all know from church history.
Mespo
Thanks for the explanation.
Jill
Nothing in Mespo’s legal definition excludes your possible scenario. One assumes neither would your idea preclude prosecution under Mespo’s provided statutes.
racampbell:
Ooops, read too quickly. First degree pertains to death or bodily injury arising from the arson, the nature of the structure notwithstanding. Second degree just penalizes burning the designated structure without harm to live humans.
rcampbell;
Second degree pertains to the burning of a house of worship. Here’s the statute:
Felony arson
SECTION 1. Section 16-11-110 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 356 of 1996, is further amended to read:
“Section 16-11-110. (A) A person who wilfully and maliciously causes an explosion, sets fire to, burns, or causes to be burned or aids, counsels, or procures the burning of a building, structure, or any property specified in subsections (B) and (C) whether the property of himself or another, which results, either directly or indirectly, in death or serious bodily injury to a person is guilty of arson in the first degree and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than ten nor more than thirty years.
(B) A person who wilfully and maliciously causes an explosion, sets fire to, burns, or causes to be burned or aids, counsels, or procures the burning of a dwelling house, church or place of worship, a public or private school facility, a manufacturing plant or warehouse, a building where business is conducted, an institutional facility, or any structure designed for human occupancy to include local and municipal buildings, whether the property of himself or another, is guilty of arson in the second degree and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than five nor more than twenty-five years.
(C) A person who wilfully and maliciously:
(1) causes an explosion, sets fire to, burns, or causes to be burned a building or structure other than those specified in subsections (A) or (B), a railway car, a ship, boat, or other watercraft, an aircraft, an automobile or other motor vehicle, or personal property; or
(2) aids, counsels, or procures the burning of a building or structure other than those specified in subsections (A) or (B), a railway car, a ship, boat, or other watercraft, an aircraft, an automobile or other motor vehicle, or personal property with intent to destroy or damage by explosion or fire;
whether the property of himself or another, is guilty of arson in the third degree and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than one and not more than ten years.”
rcampbell,
As a pastor, it means you pour the gasoline all over the church then pray to god, using your special channel, for lightening to strike just where you ask it to!
What would constitute second degree arson? Does that mean something like pouring gasoline all over the building, but the fire itself starting when he haphazardly discarded the match he used to light his cigarette into the gas pool? Or does it mean spontaneous combustion occurred on the gas soaked floor of the church?