A homeless woman will spend 29 years in prison for setting a house on fire in a jealous rage, killing a romantic rival.
Richmond prosecutor Timothy Martin said Michelle Yvette Hampton, 34, murdered Jacquelin Yvonne Anderson, 56, in June by setting a fire on the first floor of an abandoned house in North Richmond while Hampton's ex-boyfriend and Anderson were asleep together on the second floor.
Hampton's ex-boyfriend, identified as Keith Blow, had been living in the house.
Substitute Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. convicted Hampton on Wednesday in Richmond Circuit Court of murder and arson, Martin said.
Approving a plea agreement, Parsons sentenced Hampton to 40 years in prison with 11 years suspended for the murder charge and 40 years, all suspended, for the arson charge.
Hampton and Blow had been dating at some point, but that relationship ended. "Michelle Hampton did not take kindly to that, and she made threats about how she was going to burn down the abandoned house that Keith lived in," Martin said.
She made good on her threat on June 19, when she entered the house in the 3100 block of Garland Avenue and lighted some paper trash in a first-floor room, Martin said. Anderson and Blow were asleep, and Anderson woke Blow up and told him she smelled smoke.
Blow said he didn't smell any. Anderson went downstairs and so did Blow a little later.
Anderson's charred body was later found on the first floor near the front door. The cause of death was smoke inhalation and thermal burns, Martin said.
"Burning to death is a particularly horrific way to die," Martin said.
Blow escaped through a window beside the front door. Martin said there is no evidence that Blow tried to save Anderson from the smoke-filled first floor.
In court on Wednesday, Hampton made a tearful apology to the victim's family.
Hampton's attorney, Elliott Bender, said his client had told police she didn't know Anderson was in the home when the fire was set.
"Ms. Hampton was happy for the matter to be over and was very apologetic to the family," Bender said. "She was very relieved to put this behind her."
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