Tucson jury convicts man in Douglas church arsons

A federal jury in Tucson on Thursday convicted a man of setting two border-town churches ablaze last year.

Eric Ridenour, 59, was convicted on all six counts stemming from arson fires at two neighboring historic churches in Douglas on May 22, 2023.

Jurors deliberated about three hours over two days before convicting Ridenour on charges that included two counts of arson and hate-crimes related to his stated motive of resenting inclusive policies towards homosexuals and women in the two churches — St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church.

Ridenour represented himself at trial and spent much of his time in front of jurors describing homosexuality as “a sin” and “an abomination.” He also complained that women and homosexuals weren’t supposed to “teach” in church.

In his closing arguments, Ridenour told jurors he wanted them to know why he can’t be sworn in like everybody else and went on to quote Matthew 5:33-37 from the Bible. “But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black,” the quote reads.

in closing arguments prosecutors told jurors Ridenour was not on trial for his beliefs against women and homosexuals holding leadership positions in church. He was on trial, they said, for letting his anger boil over into criminal actions.

“You know what he did in this case, because you watched him do it,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Fenwick . “He wasn’t casually visiting the churches that day. You know in the testimony that you’ve heard that he would never attend the Episcopalian church or the Presbyterian church.”

In the months leading up to the fire, Ridenour continued to voice his opposition against the two churches. St. Stephen’s has an openly gay pastor and First Presbyterian has a pastor who is a woman.

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Fenwick went on to detail those months, referring to Ridenour’s first interaction with Caleb Collins, St. Stephen’s where former pastor, who had told Ridenour he was openly gay and happily married to a man. Fenwick described the interaction as “not pleasant” for the pastor.

At one point during his opening statements, Ridenour broke down and had to take a moment to regain his composure. His words of “I didn’t make the rules” and “this is what the Lord Jesus Christ has ordained for us” echoed in the courtroom.

“If there was a definition of crocodile tears, that was it,” said Collins, who was present throughout the trial.

“He did not cry about his actions, he did not cry about the harm he caused his wife. He did not cry about the damage he did to the city, to the church,” said Collins, who was in the process of transferring to a church in Mesa when the fire took place.

“What he was crying about was that the pastor at the Presbyterian church is a woman and that I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community. It was the fact that other people simply believe differently,” Collins said.

First Presbyterian’s Pastor Peggy Christiansen, who testified that she had no direct contact with Ridenour, said she was grateful the jury focused on Ridenour’s actions.

Ridenour faces five to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Oct 22.