A man who pleaded no contest to an arson charge stemming from a four-alarm fire that caused extensive damage to the historic San Gabriel Mission in 2020 was sentenced Friday to 10 years in state prison.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Karla D. Kerlin also ordered John David Corey, 62, to register as a convicted arson offender and pay restitution.
The exact amount of restitution has not been set. But damage, including projected loss of revenue, has been estimated at more than $9 million.
Deputy Public Defender Peter Chung told the judge that evidence presented during a hearing in which Corey was ordered to stand trial indicated that his client is a “known transient,” with the defendant telling the judge that he had “no funds at all.”
The judge agreed not to impose any fines or fees, saying that any money should instead go toward the restitution Corey will owe.
Corey pleaded no contest last August to one felony count of arson of a structure involving the fire, which was reported at 4:24 a.m. July 11, 2020, and took more than two hours to knock down and spread to the roof and along the length of the building.
Portions of the roof fell on firefighters, who had to evacuate and initiate a defensive fire attack, according to Capt. Antonio Negrete of the San Gabriel Fire Department. Crews managed to stop the blaze before it reached the altar, museum and the adjacent rectory.
There were no civilian injuries, though one San Gabriel firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The defendant was charged in May 2021 in connection with the fire at the mission and was given credit for just over 3,300 days in custody. The judge noted that it will be up to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to determine where he should serve the remainder of his term.
Corey — described as being from the San Gabriel Valley region — was initially arrested and sentenced to three years for a “separate arson case” in San Gabriel that occurred after the fire at the mission, according to the San Gabriel Fire Department.
“It was during this separate incident that investigators deemed Mr. Corey a person of interest in the Mission San Gabriel case,” according to a statement issued by the fire department shortly after Corey was charged with setting the blaze.
“After a thorough investigation, investigators determined that Corey was responsible for the fire at the Mission San Gabriel.”
Nearly 50% of the on-duty fire resources of the West San Gabriel Valley were called to battle the mission fire as a result of automatic aid agreements within the region, with more than 85 firefighters, 12 engine companies, five truck companies, four rescue ambulances and five battalion chiefs on hand.
The ensuing investigation was led by the Verdugo Fire Investigation Task Force and included assistance from the San Gabriel Police Department, along with the San Gabriel, San Marino, Glendale, Monterey Park and Monrovia fire departments, the Los Angeles Fire Department and its arson K9 team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive and the FBI.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez woke up before dawn to hear the news that the mission, founded by Junipero Serra in 1771, was burning. He noted then that the roof had been destroyed and there was substantial damage to the old church.
“By God’s grace and the efforts of more than 10 fire engine companies, the fire was stopped at the steps of the altar. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from our Mission families both near and far,” the Rev. John Molyneux wrote on the mission’s website.
A fundraising campaign was subsequently launched to repair the mission.
The mission’s website noted that more than 1,000 donors “gave generously to our Fire Restoration Fund” and that more than $400,000 had been raised “towards much needed upgrades to our roof, electrical, and fire safety not covered by insurance.”
Corey, also known as “Joker,” held up his hands to try to shield his face from being photographed during his sentencing in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom.