Overview

• U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead imposed the sentence after Natasha Marie O'Dell pleaded guilty to arson, damage to religious property, and obstructing religious exercise.
• Prosecutors said surviving security footage showed O'Dell pouring gasoline on the church’s exterior moments before flames took hold.
• Investigators tied her to the crime through cell phone and credit card records showing purchases of just over a gallon of gasoline and lighters, as well as an Uber ride to the site.
• The 2023 blaze destroyed Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church in Maltby, caused about $3.2 million in damage, injured a firefighter, and displaced the congregation to rented school space.
• O'Dell has been in custody since her August 2024 arrest in Texas, and the court will determine restitution at a separate proceeding.