San Diego
A 23-year-old man accused of setting fire to the Mira Mesa First Baptist Church last year was found Monday to be legally insane at the time and was committed to a state mental hospital.
Two court-appointed psychiatrists determined that Shawn Thompson of Mira Mesa was insane when he torched the building on April 26, 1990, which caused more than $500,000 in damage.
After reading the psychiatrists’ reports, San Diego Superior Court Judge Frederic L. Link ordered Thompson committed to Patton State Hospital for treatment.
Another judge found Thompson mentally incompetent to stand trial in October, 1990, and he was sent to Patton at that time. After treatment, Thompson was returned to San Diego after officials determined he was mentally competent to stand trial.
The Rickert Road church was less than a year old when it was set on fire. The arsonist entered the church by breaking a stained-glass window, then spread a flammable liquid and set three separate fires in the building.
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