SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
A 38-year-old woman from Temple, Texas, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison for setting fire to a church in Snohomish County, causing more than $3.2 million in damage, authorities said.
Texas woman admits to burning Washington church
Natasha Marie O’Dell pleaded guilty in April to three federal felonies: arson, damage to religious property, and obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs. She has been in custody since her arrest in Texas in August 2024.
The fire destroyed the Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Maltby, Washington, on Aug. 25, 2023.
“This offense was devastating and dangerous. Ms. O’Dell deliberately set fire to a church, causing complete destruction. The scope of the destruction is staggering. You burned down the spiritual home of a congregation,” U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead said at her sentencing Thursday. “The wounds you have inflicted deepen for each day they are away from their home.”
At the time of the fire, O’Dell was visiting relatives in nearby Woodinville, according to law enforcement.
Surveillance video from the church allegedly shows O’Dell walking around the building with a red gasoline canister before pouring its contents along the building’s exterior. Police said the investigation revealed O’Dell bought just over a gallon of gasoline and lighters from a nearby service station. She then used a rideshare service to reach the church.
“Ms. O’Dell acted with extreme disregard for community safety when she poured more than a gallon of gasoline on the church building and used a lighter to start the blaze,” Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller stated via a news release. “This conduct put anyone inside the church, the neighbors around the church, and the firefighters who responded in extreme danger. It is fortunate that only one firefighter suffered injuries.”
During her guilty plea, O’Dell admitted she was angry with churches and SLLC specifically. She also reportedly told somebody that she wanted to burn the church. The fire caused over $3.2 million worth of damage, forcing the congregation to rent a local middle school multiple times a week.
Damaging religious property and interfering with religious practice are federal offenses, each punishable by up to 40 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The arson charge comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum of 20 years.
This story was originally published on April 24, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.
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