Homeless man nabbed for St. Mary's arson

By William S. Mauldin

DAVID ALTSCHULER/YH Abdul Kahbir, allegedly responsible for the fire at St. Mary's, has served time for a church arson in Stratford.

Kahbir arrived for his arraignment in New Haven County Court and stated that he wished to represent himself in the upcoming trial. But after learning that Kahbir has seen psychiatrists in the past and has an admitted history of committing arson, Judge Richard Damiani asked that the suspect cooperate with public defender Beth Murkin until the court determines whether the defendant is competent to represent himself. After a brief arraignment, Judge Damiani reminded Kahbir that arson is a Class A felony, punishable with 10 to 25 years in prison.

Late next month, Murkin will present Kahbir's psychiatric records in court, aiding Judge Damiani as he determines Kahmir's competence to stand trial. When reached by phone, Murkin had no comment on Kahbir's case. But when asked whether she was currently representing him, she responded, "At this moment, yes."

She said her client is currently pleading not guilty to his charges of first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment.

Many Yalies witnessed the smoke escaping from St. Mary's on the day that Kahbir set fire to the building, but few know of Kahbir's odd behavior following the incident.

The fire interrupted a midday Mass at the Roman Catholic church. Rena Sylvestre, a long-time member of St. Mary's, recalled that during the Mass she noticed what smelled like burning paper. Smoke was rising through the radiators in the sanctuary. A loud alarm interrupted the homily, and the congregation was told to leave the building. Sylvestre said that before then, there had not been a fire at St. Mary's in 38 years.

A crowd gathered on Hillhouse Ave. to watch firefighters combat the blaze. The first alarm sounded at about 12:25 p.m. It took almost two hours for the fire to be contained.

Though the fire started in the basement, smoke began pouring from the steeple around 1 p.m. Standing on the scene, Father Stephen Penna, GRD '00, said, "The damage is incalculable."

According to Detective Joseph Petola, the fire started in the men's room in the basement of the church. The arsonist, he said, had stuffed paper into the wall and set it on fire with a cigarette lighter.

Petola noted that most of the damage (which may add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars) is to the church's internal framework. The walls' wooden support beams suffered extensively, especially in the vestibule.

On Wed., Mar. 4, the day after the fire, a secretary in the church office reported that a man came into the office and asked her if he could help with cleanup. "He stood in my office. He said he was homeless and looking for a job," the secretary, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. She notes that the man gave the name "John Kevin Smith." He spelled out his entire name for her, which struck her as odd for a man named Smith.

Petola noted that it is not uncommon for arsonists to return to the scene of the crime. "What arsonists do," he said, "they go back to the scene later on to see how much damage they caused."

After seeing "Smith" in the rectory, the church pastor reported him to the New Haven and Yale police as a suspicious character. On Thurs., Mar. 5, the New Haven police stopped him on the New Haven Green and found that his real name is Abdul Kahbir. The police then checked their records and found that Kahbir has a history of arson. He was convicted of setting fire to the Shakespeare Theatre and the St. James' Church, both in Stratford. Kahbir was reportedly born "Bernard Koundry" and changed his name to Abdul Kahbir in prison when he converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam.

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