People at their college have been quoted as saying they were Satanist.
Well, we should've guessed it. "Hold the presses!" Which church do you think at least ONE of the trio is a member of? Not only that, but was an active, fully involved member, growing up.
Yup, Baptist.
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http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4612344&nav=0RdE
Friend of Arson Suspect Speaks Out
March 9, 2006, 11:03 PM CST
There's new information about one of the three young men charged in the Alabama church arsons.
20-year old Matt Cloyd was the last suspect charged.
Authorities believe he drove his Toyota 4-Runner to at least six of the nine fires.
A close friend described Cloyd as "smart, making all A's" and "a good guy who did something dumb."
Ryan Sheffield says his friend was adventurous and liked attention. "He was a thrill-seeker. He would build ramps in his back yard. He would do anything for a thrill and he would do anything for a laugh."
Sheffield says he and Cloyd have been friends since they were nine or ten and were regulars at First Baptist Church in Pelham.
All three men, Benjamin Moseley, Russell DeBusk and Matthew Cloyd are due in federal court Friday in Birmingham at 3:00 PM. They're being housed in the Shelby County Jail.
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http://www.nbc13.com/news/7861224/detail.html
Friends, Family Of Suspects Ponder Motive Behind Church Fires
POSTED: 6:39 pm CST March 9, 2006
UPDATED: 7:32 pm CST March 9, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- One of the three men accused of being part of a string of arsons that targeted Baptist churches in Alabama was very involved in the Baptist church when he was growing up.
Mathewe Lee Cloyd attended First Baptist Church of Pelham, where he played basketball and was baptized.
His friends said they're confused and disappointed that he is now a suspect.
"I hate what Matthew did. It was dumb and he wasn't thinking, but I love who he is and I love him as a person," Ryan Sheffield, one of Cloyd's friends, said.
Friends and neighbors are also talking about possible motives.
"He was always excited about going to church, so I don't think he hated God or hated churches or anything like that. I just think it was something he did and he's going to have to pay for it," Sheffield said.
Cloyd is like the other suspects in this case, Ben Moseley and Russell Debusk.
All three are outgoing, popular, star students from upscale homes and good schools.
Mosely was high school homecoming king, an honors student and a class favorite from the Trussville area.
Debusk was a drama and debate student from Hoover.
His family had no comment, but neighbors said he was helpful, polite and got along well with others.
"It is disappointing to think somebody had to do something this bad," Lind Gibb, one of Dubusk's neighbors, said.
Friends and neighbors are waiting like everyone else for more answers to why this happened.
Attorney Brett Bloomston describes his client, Dubusk, as somber and remorseful.
Tommy Spina, who represents Matthew Cloyd, said the media will be disappointed to learn the chruch burnings were not racially, satanically or religiously motivated.
"What I don't want to see happen is the national attention in the media put any more pressure on authorities to convict or obtain certain results," Bloomston said.
All three suspects are in the Shelby County Jail, isolated from the general population.
Friday afteronoon, the three men will have a detention hearing. Their attorneys are hopeful they'll get their clients out of jail on bond.