Bible Belt Documentary Chronicles Atheistic Arsonists: 2010 Reign of Terror across East Texas
Starting in January of 2010, ten churches located within a 40-mile radius of a rural section of East Texas were all burned to the ground. It only lasted for a little over one month, but the god-fearing people in the area were upset and unforgiving.
Nobody knew if this was the work of devil worshipping atheists, arsonists in search of a spectacle, or someone else.
It was the biggest criminal case in the history of East Texas.
The arsons confounded the
Criminal investigators mounted the largest manhunt in the history of the region, but they were unable to put the case together.
“We had people camping out in churches, all waiting for the bad guys to show.” The police asked the community to be good witnesses. They didn’t want them to be armed. … But this was Texas, and they were armed.
The authorities eventually cracked the case, and two troubled young men, Jason Bourque, 19, and Daniel Mcallister, 21, were arrested.
Daniel soon started to sing, confessing after waiving his right to remain silent. He also implicated his pal Jason in return for word from his interrogator that he’d receive half the sentence of his co-conspirator. But that handshake wasn’t worth the paper it was written on, and both defendants landed life sentences when they got their day in court.
After all, this was not only the heart of the Bible Belt, but Texas, a state notorious for its lack of patience for felonious behavior. And when you factor in the ire of unforgiving church members who’d lost their place of worship, all bets were off in terms of any promised plea deal.
Little Hope Was Arson marks the noteworthy directorial debut of Theo Love. The picture is less sensational than understated as it relates an engaging tale in matter-of-fact style. Along the way, we learn about the family dysfunction in each of the boy’s childhood which ostensibly contributed to their lives spiraling out of control.
Personally, I only felt empathy towards the two upon learning how long they’ll have to spend behind bars, since nobody died during their month-long reign of terror. But maybe I was surprised to see a couple of white kids have the Good Book thrown at them.
They were so young, and they tossed their lives away for this…
Nevertheless, I’m sure that they were taught right from wrong as little boys, and somewhere along the way they simply opted for the dark side. So, now they must pay their debt to society.
The moral? Like the ghetto gangstas say: If you can’t do the time, don’t commit the crime. I can only pray that Daniel and Jason’s momentary thrill of setting those buildings ablaze was worth flushing their futures down the drain.
Little Hope Was Arson
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 73 minutes
Distributor: The Orchard / Submarine Deluxe
Watch the Little Hope Was Arson trailer: