An Augusta man accused of stabbing a roommate and later setting fire at a church, a restaurant and a vehicle dealership pleaded guilty Monday, Nov. 14.
Billie Gene Burdette, 43, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to charges filed in two cases — a Sept. 24, 2019, aggravated assault for stabbing his roommate and four counts of arson that occurred on April 4, 2021.
Judge John Flythe accepted the negotiated plea that capped any prison term at 10 years. Flythe sentenced Burdette to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation. A special term of probation is to take medication as prescribed for mental illness.
On Easter Sunday in 2021, Burdette set fire to a cross outside the Cokesbury United Methodist Church, the pig sign at Sconyer’s Bar-B-Que, a vehicle at Augusta Mitsubishi, and a dumpster behind a business on Windsor Spring Road.
At the time of the fires and the assault on his roommate, Burdette had been off his prescribed medication, defense attorney Aubree Smith told the judge. Since he as been jailed following his arrest for arson, Burdette has been medication and has had no behavior incidents at the jail, she said.
