AUSTIN, Texas — A 20-year-old Texas man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for setting fire to an Austin synagogue in 2021.
Earlier this year, Franklin Sechriest pleaded guilty to charges of arson and a hate crime causing damage to religious property after the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Central Austin was set on fire on Halloween in 2021. Prosecutors asked for a 10-year sentence, citing what they called Sechriest’s “deeply held” antisemitic and racist beliefs.
Prosecutors said he had committed other racially motivated crimes and demonstrated a “capacity to lie and manipulate.” A judge said he would recommend that Sechriest be housed at a federal medical facility.
Sechriest, who was 18 at the time of the fire, was a member of the Texas State Guard and a student at Texas State University.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in downtown Austin, Sechriest could be seen looking over at his parents and mouthing, “I’m sorry.”
Sechriest’s lawyer Daniel Wannamaker said his client had been diagnosed with autism and suffered from mental illness. He described Sechriest as an isolated teenager who was vulnerable to being “groomed” and “radicalized” by online hate groups.
Sechriest spoke briefly at the hearing, denouncing those beliefs and apologizing to “everyone involved.”
Members of the congregation on Wednesday gave statements during the sentencing hearing, describing the long-term impact of the arson on the greater…
