ORLANDO, Fla. – Almost two and a half years after a fire damaged the temporary memorial outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the man accused of sparking it has been found incompetent to stand trial, Orange County court records show.
According to an order dated Monday, Mark Henson, 66, was found incompetent to proceed due to a neurophysiological disorder.
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Henson was to be released, the document continues, on conditions that he resides in the Orlando area, will receive mental health treatment and housing assistance as needed, will not consume alcohol or illegal substances, will not possess or use firearms or other weapons and shall remain in contact with his counsel at least once per week.
He faced a charge of criminal mischief with damage of $1,000 or more, records show. The case was transferred Monday to the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s Problem Solving Court.
Henson was arrested in November 2021 after Pulse survivor Orlando Torres said he recognized him from a surveillance video shared by the onePulse Foundation. The footage — recorded Oct. 12, 2021 — shows an individual in a wheelchair set a fire at the interim Pulse memorial. The fire damaged three banners, including one which had pictures of all 49 people killed in the 2016 mass shooting.
“It’s not just a banner, it’s the soul of and inspiration of many of us that suffered and prayed and hoped it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Torres said.
President Joe Biden signed a bill in June 2021 designating the site as a national memorial.
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