A judge sentenced a Sandy, Utah, woman to 15 years to life in prison for setting fire to her apartment complex that destroyed six units.
Crystal Moss, 39, was sentenced on Monday for aggravated arson, reported Salt Lake City’s KSL-TV. She was convicted of setting fire to her apartment on March 5, 2023. Police officers in the area were able to warn other residents to get them out of the complex.
According to a police affidavit cited by the Gephardt Daily news team, Moss burned a “tree of life” to “burn away the negative energy, sadness and pain in her life.”
Moss also set the blaze to go viral and get attention, according to charging documents cited by KSL.
In the years since, Moss changed her story and said the fire was caused by electrical problems, though District Court Judge Coral Sanchez said the evidence in the case didn’t match that.
Moss refused to get mental health treatment, leading her attorney to recommend the statutory prison sentence.
“I feel like my hands are tied,” attorney Lance Bastian told KSL.
