Man Sentenced for Attacks on Jehovah’s Witness Halls

Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a series of religiously motivated arson attacks and a shooting spree targeting Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls in Washington in 2018. Starrett pleaded guilty to four counts of damaging religious property and one count involving a firearm, admitting that his actions were driven by the religious character of the properties. The crimes, which included setting fires at Kingdom Halls in Tumwater and Olympia and shooting into a Yelm Kingdom Hall, resulted in over $700,000 in damages. U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman and Chief Judge David G. Estudillo emphasized that these attacks were not only against buildings but were targeted at a religious community, causing severe and lasting harm. The Department of Justice underscored the significance of religious freedom and denounced violence based on religious prejudice. Starrett was arrested in September 2021 after a comprehensive investigation and has been in custody since then.