San Marcos teen faces federal arson charge for Austin synagogue fire

A San Marcos teen who’s accused of setting an Austin synagogue on fire now faces federal charges for arson, according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed in a U.S. District Court. 

Franklin Barrett Sechriest, 18, was previously charged with arson following an investigation conducted by the Austin Fire Department into a fire that occurred at Congregation Beth Israel, 3901 Shoal Creek Blvd. in Austin, on Oct. 31. 

In an affidavit filed on Nov. 12, FBI Special Agent Thomas P. Loy Jr. said Sechriest used an accelerant to start the fire near the entry of the synagogue. Previously, AFD also determined that an accelerant was used. The fire was set at approximately 9 p.m. on Oct. 31. The affidavit said the synagogue suffered damage in excess of $25,000 that was capable of destroying the building. 

According to the affidavit, surveillance video showed a dark colored SUV in the synagogue’s parking lot on Oct. 28. FBI investigators used Texas Department of Motor Vehicle records to determine that the license plate was from a 2001 Jeep Cherokee and belonged to a person believed to be a relative of Sechriest at a residence in San Marcos. An FBI surveillance team observed Sechriest driving the vehicle on Nov. 8, 9 and 10 to and from Texas State University where he attends classes, the affidavit states. 

In the court document, FBI investigators executed a search warrant of Sechriest’s residence in San Marcos on Nov. 10, where they found several items related to the investigation. 

Investigators found clothes that matched those that the suspect was seen wearing on surveillance video on Oct. 31. A credit card was discovered that was used to purchase a green five-gallon VP racing fuel utility jug from Cabela’s in Buda. Additionally, FBI agents found three 33-ounce glass bottles, three 32-ounce bottles of lighter fluid, a lighter and an orange storm proof match case with matches during a search of Sechriest’s Jeep Cherokee. 

“Based on my training and experience, and that of other agents knowledgeable about exploding devices, these items are consistent with materials that can be used and combined to produce devices known as Molotov cocktails,” Loy wrote in the affidavit. 

FBI agents also found three stickers, which all featured antisemitic rhetoric. One said “the price of freedom is paid in blood,” with Nazi swastikas on the sticker. Another said “They hate your ancestors. They hate your culture. They hate your nation. They hate your religion. They hate your children … It’s okay to hate them back.” 

Investigators also found a 2021 planning calendar as well as multiple journals belonging to Sechriest, the affidavit states. In the calendar, he had marked a move-in day as well as an orientation day at Texas State followed by an entry entitled “n----- appreciation class” on Aug. 19. 

The affidavit states that Sechriest wrote “scout out a target” in an entry on Oct. 28. Three days later, he wrote, “I set a synagogue on fire,” in a two-page excerpt included in the court document. 

Following the FBI’s investigation, Sechriest faces a federal charge of arson. Sechriest was in federal custody as of Monday.