Olympia man sentenced for 2018 arson spree that destroyed Jehovah’s Witness buildings

A 52-year-old Olympia man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a series of 2018 arsons and a shooting spree targeting Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls, the Department of Justice announced Friday.

Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, admitted guilt in May 2024 to four counts of damage to religious property and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

At the sentencing in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Chief Judge David G. Estudillo condemned the attacks, stating, “There are significant and troubling facts… Terrorizing a group of individuals because of their religious beliefs.”

Starrett’s crimes included three arsons and a shooting, all aimed at Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls in Tumwater, Olympia, and Yelm, causing more than $700,000 in damage.

U.S. Attorney Gorman emphasized the far-reaching harm caused by the attacks. “These were not crimes against buildings, but a series of attacks against a community and a faith,” she said.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division noted that Starrett’s attacks shattered the community’s peace. “The freedom to practice the religion we choose, without discrimination or violence, is a fundamental civil right in our nation… Violence based on religious prejudice has no place in our society,” Clarke stated.

According to court records, Starrett’s arsons took place on March 19, 2018, when he set fires at Kingdom Halls in Tumwater and Olympia. He returned to the Olympia location on July 3, 2018, and burned it down entirely.

Additionally, on May 15, 2018, he fired an assault-style rifle into a Kingdom Hall in Yelm.

After an extensive investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and local police departments, Starrett was arrested in September 2021 and has been in federal custody since.

“ATF and our law enforcement partners spent many thousands of hours investigating these attacks… This sentence is appropriate for his egregious actions,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais.

During sentencing, Jehovah’s Witness members shared statements detailing their fear and anxiety. One statement expressed concern that the attacks would continue, saying, “I wondered if the arsonist would strike again with people inside.”

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