Man pleads guilty in Duluth synagogue fire
By Tom Olsen via Duluth News Tribune
A homeless Duluth man pleaded guilty Tuesday to starting the fire that destroyed a 118-year-old synagogue earlier this month.
Matthew James Amiot, 36, entered the plea just eight days after he was charged with igniting the blaze that ravaged the home of Adas Israel Congregation in downtown Duluth.
Amiot pleaded guilty to felony and gross misdemeanor charges of starting a negligent fire resulting in more than $2,500 in damage and great bodily harm.
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He entered the pleas without the benefit of any agreement with prosecutors. However, the crimes carry presumptive probationary sentences, and Amiot is expected to be released from custody under supervision Wednesday.
After his arraignment last week, Amiot wasn't even scheduled to make his second court appearance until Oct. 8. But defense attorney Keith Shaw contacted the court on Monday to request an immediate hearing.
According to a criminal complaint, Amiot used a lighter to ignite "a variety of combustible materials" in the sukkah, a separate religious structure behind the synagogue, on the morning of Sept. 9.
At 2:13 a.m., Amiot was seen walking behind the synagogue at 302 E. Third St., according to the complaint. Two minutes later, the document states, he was seen "looking back at the flickering flames." Authorities arrived at the scene at 2:22 a.m. and reported 3-foot-tall flames coming from the area.
By 3:39 a.m., the building began to collapse. Duluth Fire Department Capt. Ben Gasner was knocked unconscious by falling debris, while there was a "near miss" for a number of other firefighters, according to the complaint. Gasner suffered a concussion, officials said.
The synagogue was deemed a total loss. The structure was valued at $117,000, according to county property records, while the loss of religious artifacts was estimated to be in excess of $250,000.
In a statement to police after his Sept. 13 arrest, Amiot allegedly admitted to starting the combustible materials on fire outside the synagogue. The defendant stated he tried to extinguish the fire by spitting on it but "when it would not go out, he walked away," according to the complaint.
Accelerants were not detected at the scene and authorities have said there is "no reason to believe that this is a bias or hate crime."
Amiot was charged with a felony count of starting a negligent fire resulting in more than $2,500 in damage and a gross misdemeanor count of starting a negligent fire resulting in great bodily harm. The felony carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, while the gross misdemeanor carries one year.
Amiot had been living at the CHUM shelter and relies on disability as his only source of income, a public defender said at his arraignment. In recent years, he has been repeatedly cited for theft and trespassing — minor offenses an attorney attributed to his homelessness.