Cape Girardeau LDS church arson suspect gets public defender

The 45-year-old homeless Cape Girardeau man charged with burning down Cape Girardeau's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) on April 18 has been given a lawyer at government expense.

Christopher Pritchard was assigned a public defender Tuesday by 32nd Judicial Circuit Judge Scott Lipke.

Christopher Pritchard

The following four felony charges have been filed against Pritchard: property damage motivated by discrimination in the first degree, also known as a hate crime, plus burglary and arson in the second degree and the stealing of $750 or more, according to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Welker.

Pritchard is scheduled back in court Aug. 2 for a case review, Welker said.

In the days following the fire in which no one was hurt, the church's stake director, Kevin Dickson, indicated to the Southeast Missourian the building will be rebuilt.

The structure at 1048 W. Cape Rock Drive was subsequently razed and as of Wednesday it remained an empty lot entirely surrounded by a chain link fence.

Dickson did not return multiple calls by presstime seeking comment on this story.

Background

Crews responded to the three-alarm blaze at approximately 9:30 p.m. April 18, finding the building engulfed in flames with fire officials deeming the structure a total loss.

According to a probable-cause statement signed by Sgt. Ed Curtis of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, the church had put in a request for an extra patrol because Pritchard allegedly had threatened a church official and had vowed to "burn the church down."

Later the same evening, Curtis said he found Pritchard a mile and a half from the church, with the suspect reporting he had been at friend's house and was walking home. When asked where the friend lived, Pritchard said he didn't know.

According to the probable-cause statement, Pritchard admitted to making threats against the LDS bishop and the church itself but denied entering the building or setting it on fire. Two detectives on the case noted an odor of smoke on Pritchard's clothes and he was arrested.

Upon a search of Pritchard's backpack, three members of the church were later able to identify its contents as belonging to the congregation, including two extension cords, a laptop, a projector, a small set of computer speakers, hand tools, a cheese grater and 21 individually bagged red apples.

One church member said Pritchard had made an "(expletive) Mormon" remark and had added other derogatory comments about members of the religious group.

Southeast Missouri State University's communications director Kathy Harper said Pritchard had been previously served a trespass order for allegedly harassing students and faculty on the Cape Girardeau campus.

The once and presumed future site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 1408 W. Cape Rock Drive in Cape Girardeau, July 7, 2021. The congregation's stake building was destroyed in an April 18, 2021 blaze, believed to be arson.Jeff Long ~ jlong@semissourian.com