TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sentences have been delayed for the man found guilty of burning two historic churches in Douglas on May 22, 2023.
Eric Ridenour was convicted of arson and using fire to disrupt religious observances. Prosecutors presented evidence that Ridenour was angry that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church had a gay pastor, and First Presbyterian had a female pastor.
Peggy Christiansen is one of two female pastors at First Presbyterian. She says Ridenour twisted the Bible’s message of love into hate and fire.
“It makes me sick to my stomach. It's so counter to what our understanding is of, what, what, what the Bible is about. The Bible is often cherry picked. People often take verses out of context and throw them and use them as a weapon.”
Ridenour burned First Presbyterian without even talking to Pastor Christiansen. He did talk–and argue with John Caleb Collins when he was Vicar at St. Stephens.
“I welcomed him to the church. He took pictures of the sanctuary, commented how beautiful it was. He did ask questions. He was very argumentative, very disrespectful to the churches. But throughout that conversation, I kept repeating and that's why we have religious freedom in this country.”
However, since Ridenour’s conviction in July there has been an appeals court ruling in a different case that says jurors must have a separate deliberation to decide if a case is a hate crime. That did not happen in Ridenour’s case because the appeals court ruling happened after Ridenour’s jury verdict.
The hate crime designation would add more years to Ridenour’s sentence. Judge Scott Rash delayed sentencing to give attorneys time to research how the appeals court rulings would affect the possible sentences.
Judge Rash has set a new sentencing date for January 7th.
Ridenour served as his own attorney. The court appointed a professional attorney to assist Ridenour as a consultant but Ridenour managed his own defense. He asked few questions and said little in court. He refused to make closing statements to the jury because he regarded the proceeding as in conflict with the Bible.
The US Attorney recommended a 39-year sentence based on sentencing guidelines, the fear that Ridenour would commit the same crimes again, and the fear that his crimes could inspire other attacks against churches welcoming to gay and female pastors.
Surveillance video showed Ridenour’s car near one of the churches as the fire broke out. Video in a store showed him buying the same sort of charcoal lighter fluid found in the wreckage of one of the churches.
MORE ON THIS STORY: KGUN 9's Cochise County reporter Alexis Ramanjulu will have an update later Monday on the rebuilding process at St. Stephen's Episcopal.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- US Attorney recommends Ridenour gets 39 years for church fires
- 'That's not what Douglas stands for, burning churches': Douglas is focused on moving past arson after verdict
- One year later: A look back at the fires that devastated two pieces of Douglas history
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
