JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas — A man convicted of setting a fire inside a Burleson church has been sentenced to decades in prison, officials announced.
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office announced that 54-year-old Rafael Rodriguez Jr. was sentenced to 50 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for arson with intent to damage a place of worship, along with an additional 20 years for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
The charges stem from an incident on October 20, 2025, when Rodriguez broke into Boulevard Baptist Church in Burleson and attempted to start a fire inside the building.
Responding Burleson police officers reported smelling smoke upon arrival and discovered Rodriguez had barricaded himself inside a room within the church. After negotiations, he eventually surrendered to officers.
Investigators later linked Rodriguez to a separate incident earlier that same morning involving a stolen vehicle. Authorities said the vehicle, reported stolen out of Midland, had been involved in a crash before the driver fled the scene.
Inside the church, officers found evidence of forced entry and fire damage. During an interview, Rodriguez admitted to starting fires inside the church and taking the vehicle without the owner’s consent, which was later connected to a hit-and-run.
The case was prosecuted by Stephanie Bosworth.
