Alabama church arsonists to go to federal prison

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Two former college students were each sentenced Monday to eight years in federal prison for a string of rural church fires that began as a prank during a night of drinking.

A third friend, who wasn’t involved in all of the fires, was sentenced to seven years.

Dressed in orange jail uniforms with shackles around their feet, each man apologized for the blazes, which they set during a night of drinking and illegal hunting.

“I’m truly sorry for that,” said Matthew Cloyd, 21. “I’m ready to accept the consequences of my actions.”

Russell Lee DeBusk Jr., who received the lighter sentence, said the three decided to break into a church on Feb. 3, 2006, and set plastic plants on fire.

“A snowball effect happened as we proceeded to set four more churches on fire,” said DeBusk, 20.

Three days later, Cloyd and Benjamin Moseley, 20, set four more fires in an attempt to throw federal agents off their trail.

U.S. District Judge David Proctor ordered Cloyd and Moseley to pay $3.1 million in restitution and DeBusk to pay $1.9 million. After their release, each must perform 300 hours of community service at the burned churches.

The Rev. Walter Hawkins, minister of Dancy First Baptist Church, asked the judge for leniency and said his congregation had forgiven the three men.

Hawkins said he hoped the men did not receive additional prison time in state court, where they are due for a hearing this week.