Man Accused of Setting Fire to San Gabriel Mission had Conflicts with Staff, Sources Say

Los Angeles Times ^ | 5/4/21 | Andreew J. Campa, Richard Winton, James Queally

[marshmallow]

Last summer, an early morning fire ripped through the San Gabriel Mission, causing severe damage to the roof and interior of the landmark 249-year-old adobe-and-wood structure.

The losses to one of the region’s oldest buildings stunned Catholics and many others, but the exact circumstances remained a mystery.

Then Tuesday, a 57-year-old man who has two previous fire-related convictions was charged with setting the blaze.

John David Corey was known at the mission and had a history of conflict with its staff, according to law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter candidly.

Corey believed that the Catholic Church did not hold people accountable for “bad acts,” according to one official.

But the official did not explicitly link Corey’s animosity toward the church to a motive for setting the fire, which was started with an accelerant. Other sources familiar with the investigation also said it was unclear what drove Corey to start the blaze.

Corey faces two felony counts of arson on an inhabited structure and one count each of arson during a state of emergency, first-degree residential burglary and possession of flammable material, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a news release Tuesday.

“The loss to the mission was in the millions of dollars,” Gascón said, “but the loss to the community is immeasurable.”

[Beowulf9]

249 years old and one jerk ruins it. Multiple arrests for vandalism and drugs. What a waste of a human being.

[hanamizu]

Here locally we had a similar incident with the Mormon church. A ‘homeless’ man had been hanging about, got into arguments with the local bishop, threatened to burn the place down.

Walked to a nearby gas station, got some gasoline, broke into the church, scattered the gas about and burned the place to the ground. He was seen by several and was arrested immediately carrying odds and ends he’d stolen from the church.

Not an historic building or anything like that, but one nutter can do a lot of damage if he sets his mind to it. I was struck by how thoroughly he had spread the gas—the whole complex was destroyed.

[Marchmain]

This loser is a pyromaniac and sociopath. Why isn’t he in an institution for the criminally insane?

[phormer phrog phlyer]

Many years ago (30?)in my home county in Indiana, there was one remaining wooden covered bridge, I think you can see where this is going, it was set on fire and destroyed, it was replaced with a standard bridge.

They did get the culprit, a small piece of history was gone.