A Nicola Valley man accused of setting fire to several Merritt-area churches in early 2019 has pleaded guilty.

“On July 23, 2021, August David Caprian pleaded guilty to three counts of arson and one count of break and enter with intent, stemming a series of church arsons that occurred in the Nicola Valley in January 2019,” Merritt RCMP Sgt. Josh Roda said, in a statement.

“Mr. Caprian received a 24-month Conditional Sentence Order.”

Built in 1867, the 143-year-old Murray Church was the oldest building in the Nicola Valley when it burned to the ground on January 11, 2019. Also damaged were the Crossroads and Shulus Catholic churches.

The Murray Church is being rebuilt on its original site after a fundraising campaign.

Work started last fall and the church was expected to reopen this summer.