By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The man who admitted to setting fire to a church in Marana in 2024 has been declared incompetent, but restorable.
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On Monday, June 22, Judge Mark Hotchkiss said he was following the guidance of two separate reports about Amarion Amir Person.
The ruling means the 23-year-old Person will be put into Pima County’s restoration and competency program and will not be released to the public. If his mental health is restored, he will be sentenced and likely put in prison.
On Jan. 23, 2026, Person pleaded guilty to one count of arson of an occupied structure. He was set to be sentenced on March 30.
Person, who was also facing charges of criminal damage and criminal trespass, has said he was having financial and relationship issues, so he set fire to a church in Marana as a way to cope.
The fire happened at the Living Word Southern Baptist Church on Sandario Road on Oct. 25, 2024.
You can see Person’s initial court appearance in the video player below.
Firefighters were called to the church and found the main chapel fully engulfed in flames. The roof collapsed during the fire, but there were no reported injuries.
According to the interim complaint, someone poured gasoline on the back southeast door, set it on fire, and left the scene.
Amarion became a person of interest after being arrested for unrelated crimes and suggesting he was in the area the night of the fire.
“We are happy to know they found the guy. We’re happy to know that he admitted to it. And we know that justice can move forward at this point,” said Terry Ulibarri-Lee, one of the church’s trustees.
She said she feels for the Person but is glad they finally have answers.
“I just feel bad that, that, he was disturbed enough to do something like that,” Ulibarri-Lee said. “But glad that all the pieces came together.”
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Police obtained a DNA sample during an interview with Amarion, which came back as a match to DNA found on the gas can.
Amarion later admitted to the arson of the church and said he was frustrated with a relationship and financial troubles and used the fire to cope. He also allegedly gave investigators details about the fire “which would only be known by the suspect.”
No matter Amarion’s reason, Ulibarri-Lee said the church was left to pick up the pieces.
“I think the biggest hardship is that we don’t know how to rebuild the church,” Ulibarri-Lee said.
She said they’ve had numerous people come out to see the church and determine just how much needs to be done – adding that the full rebuild is still months, if not years, away.
And while they’ve received a few financial breaks here and there, Ulibarri-Lee said there are still numerous hurdles ahead for them.
However, they continue to see their congregation grow, with over 50 members now – a sharp increase from the 15 they had seen before.
“The church said since the day after the fire, when we had our bible study here on Saturday morning, that we will go forward, we will continue and go forward,” Ulibarri-Lee said.
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