In January and February 2010, 10 churches were burned in East Texas. Two local men, Jason Bourque and Daniel McAllister, were arrested, pleaded guilty and were jailed indefinitely.
Timeline
January 1 – Little Hope Baptist Church, Canton – ruled accident until investigation, later ruled arson
8:30 PM on February 8 – Dover Baptist Church on Highway 110 outside Lindale – mostly destroyed
9:30 on February 8 – Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church, on CR 426 near the Smith-Van Zandt county line – found burning
Suspects
A sketch was released of three persons of interest. On February 21, 2010, Jason Robert Bourque, 19, of Lindale, and Daniel George McAllister, 21, of Ben Wheeler were charged in connection with the Dover Baptist Church burning on February 8. Their bond was set at $10 million. Because they targeted places of worship, the crime is a first-degree felony carrying a maximum penalty of 99 years to life. Bourque was raised by his devout Christian maternal grandparents, while McAllister was homeschooled for religious reasons. Both men had started to question their faith, Bourque following his dropping-out from the University of Texas, and McAllister after the death of his mother and trouble finding work. Faced with overwhelming evidence, both men pleaded guilty. On January 14, 2011, Judge Christi Kennedy sentenced Bourque to life and 20 years in prison, and McAllister to a life sentence. On February 11, 2011, Bourque was interviewed by KLTV 7 from Smith County Jail. He blamed the drug Chantix, which he used to aid his quitting smoking, for psychotic episodes. He also claimed that McAllister had led the wave, targeting churches as he found them corrupt. Bourque stated that God had forgiven him.
Cultural legacy
Theo Love's documentary, Little Hope Was Arson, interviews community members in East Texas reacting to the burning of the 10 churches.
