In the predawn hours of Jan. 10, the Beth Israel synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, went up in flames. Not long after the incident, 19-year-old Stephen Spencer Pittman was arrested and charged with the crime. Why would a promising, young college baseball player allegedly ruin his life and light a house of worship on fire?

According to the Clarion Ledger, the affidavit reveals that “once Pittman was confronted by his father about what happened Saturday morning, Pittman confessed to the crime. Pittman also allegedly ‘laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.'”