A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a Texas woman to six years in prison for setting fire to a Washington state church in August 2023, an attack that federal prosecutors said destroyed the congregation’s building and put neighbors and first responders at risk.
Natasha Marie O’Dell, 38, was sentenced after earlier pleading guilty to three felonies: arson, damage to religious property and obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead said at the hearing that O’Dell "deliberately set fire to a church, causing complete destruction," and that the offense was "devastating and dangerous." The judge said he would determine restitution at a later date.
According to the plea agreement and federal indictment, the Aug. 25, 2023, fire at the Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church in Maltby, Snohomish County, was linked to O’Dell through cell phone records, credit card transactions and surveillance video. Investigators said she purchased lighters and a container with just over a gallon of gasoline at a service station prior to the attack.
Surveillance footage that survived the blaze showed O’Dell moving around the church with a red gasoline container and emptying its contents on exterior walls and nearby items, prosecutors said. The video then shows her moving out of the camera’s view as flames began to grow where gasoline had been poured. Prosecutors said O’Dell told multiple people she was angry about churches and later told another person she planned to burn a nearby church.
The fire caused more than $3.2 million in damages to the church, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The congregation has since held services at a rented middle school, and officials said the group has incurred additional costs. A firefighter was injured while battling the blaze and was treated at an emergency room.
"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 said in a statement. "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."
Federal prosecutors charged O’Dell in part under statutes that protect religious property and the right to free exercise of religion, reflecting the department’s use of federal statutes when crimes target houses of worship or threaten broader public safety. The plea and sentencing followed the investigation that combined physical evidence, electronic records and surviving video from the church’s security system.
Court records and the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement say O’Dell was visiting family in the area when she carried out the attack. Details in the plea agreement describing how she was tied to purchases and surveillance footage were presented to support the guilty plea and the felony counts.
Judge Whitehead described the scope of the destruction as "staggering" and noted the lasting impact on congregants who have been displaced from their spiritual home. The judge ordered that a restitution amount be set at a subsequent hearing in federal court. O’Dell’s prison term will be followed by any supervised release terms the court imposes at sentencing.
The sentence underscores federal prosecutors’ emphasis on pursuing cases in which arson or other violent acts target religious institutions, especially when they endanger community members and emergency responders. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the investigation remains part of broader efforts to hold accountable those who commit violent acts against houses of worship and to ensure victims receive restitution.
Local authorities, the congregation and federal prosecutors did not immediately provide further comment on the sentencing beyond the statements released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and remarks from the judge.
