SEATTLE—A 38-year-old Natasha Marie O’Dell of Temple, Texas, was sentenced Friday, September 5, in U.S, District Court in Seattle to six years in prison for three federal felonies related to the arson at Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County. O’Dell has been in custody since her arrest in Texas in August 2024.
In April 2025, O’Dell pled guilty to Arson, Damage to Religious Property and Obstruction of Persons in the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs. At her sentencing U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead said, “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. … The wounds you have inflicted deepen for each day they are away from their home.”
“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,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. “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.”
According to the plea agreement and the federal indictment, O’Dell was linked via cell phone records, credit card records and surveillance video to the fire that destroyed the Maltby, Washington, church on August 25, 2023. Over the time of the fire, Odell was visiting relatives in Woodinville, Washington.
Even though the church was destroyed, part of the security system video surveillance survived the fire and depicted O’Dell, moving around the church with the red gasoline container. In the video O’Dell empties the container on the exterior walls of the church and items around the church. O’Dell moves out of camera range and fire is seen growing on the areas where she poured gasoline. Ultimately the video system stopped functioning due to the fire.
The investigation tied O’Dell to credit card purchases at an area service station when she purchased just over a gallon of gasoline in a container and some lighters. O’Dell took an Uber to the church to commit the arson.
In the plea agreement O’Dell admits that she told various acquaintances that she was angry about churches and specifically with SLLC. Later she told another acquaintance that she planned to burn a nearby church.
One firefighter was injured fighting the blaze and was transported to an emergency room.
The fire did more than $3.2 million in damage to the church. The church has incurred additional costs renting a nearby middle school to hold their services two to three times a week.
Judge Whitehead will determine the amount of restitution O’Dell owes at a hearing at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Snohomish County Fire Marshall’s Office and the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
