As many probably remember, in 2018-2020, multiple Kingdom and Assembly Halls were set on fire in the State of Washington, so FBI, ATF, local sheriff and Arson Alarm Foundation offered $61,000 in rewards for information leading to arrest of the arsonist. The attacks (seven arsons and one shooting) included:
March 19, 2018: Two arson attacks - one at a Tumwater Kingdom Hall and the second at a Kingdom Hall on Cain Road in Olympia. Damage to both was minor, limited to the exterior structures.
May 15, 2018: An unknown suspect or suspects shot and struck a Kingdom Hall in Yelm with about 35 .223 rifle rounds, causing more than $10,000 in damage to the structure.
July 3, 2018: An arson completely destroyed the Olympia Kingdom Hall on Cain Road. This was the same Kingdom Hall that was damaged in the March 19 attack.
Aug. 8, 2018. A fire was set against the back fence at the rear of the Kingdom Hall in Yelm, but members were able to put the fire out. This fire caused minimal damage to the fence and a back wall of the Kingdom Hall. This was the same location where someone fired rifle rounds at it on May 15.
Dec. 7, 2018: An arson completely destroyed the Lacey Kingdom Hall on 6th Ave SE.
Aug. 13, 2019: A fire was set at the Puyallup Assembly Hall on 62nd Ave E., causing relatively minor damage to an outside wall and overhang.
June 24, 2020: Arson-Shelton Kingdom Hall (11 W Sentry Ct, Shelton, WA).
Subsequently, law enforcement identified the primary suspect, namely Michael Jason Layes a/k/a Mikey Diamond Starrett, a professional biologist who runs his own business. The relevant evidence were summarized by a US attorney as follows:
Law enforcement has obtained electronic evidence that places devices owned and controlled by Layes at and near the scenes of some of the arsons during the relevant time periods.
Electronic evidence also shows that accounts registered by Layes were used to conduct searches of the relevant locations and searches related to the Jehovah’s Witness religion.
An individual matching the physical characteristics of Layes and a vehicle that matches the description of Layes’ car were captured on surveillance video at some of the scenes.
Electronic evidence also shows that accounts registered by Layes were used to conduct searches of the relevant locations and searches related to the Jehovah’s Witness religion.
Numerous friends and family members have also reported to law enforcement that Layes told them he was haunted by spirits who told him to do bad things. They also explained that Layes believes these spirits are the dead Jehovah’s Witness relatives of an exgirlfriend, and that Layes hates the Jehovah’s Witness religion. These friends and family members also reported heavy drug and alcohol use by Layes, as well as serious mental health issues
The suspect strongly denies these accusations and claims the United States misrepresented evidence. So far, he isn't charged over those attacks because certification from AG Garland is needed as they probably constitute hate crimes. The government detains and prosecutes him since September 8 for illegally possessing a firearm.