GULFPORT, MS – A federal jury has convicted Stefan Day Rowold on six counts of federal arson and civil rights violations for vandalizing and setting fire to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Wiggins, Mississippi.
According to evidence presented at trial, Rowold carried out two separate attacks on the church. On July 5, 2024, he broke into the building, vandalized the interior with hateful messages, and ignited a fire in the multipurpose room using hymnals as kindling. On July 7, 2024, after law enforcement had attempted to secure the scene, he returned, broke in again, and set a second fire using cardboard and firewood.
Rowold admitted to targeting the church because of his disagreement with its religious views and confessed to his actions during the investigation.
He was convicted of multiple counts of arson and civil rights violations. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 14, 2026. Rowold faces a minimum of five years and up to twenty years in prison on each arson count, up to twenty years for each civil rights offense, and a minimum of ten years for using fire to commit a federal felony.
The case was investigated by the FBI Jackson Field Office with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi State Fire Marshal, and the Wiggins Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner and Trial Attorney Chloe Neely are prosecuting the case.
