Utah Bride Accused Of Setting Fire To Mormon Church The Day Before Her Wedding

A Utah bride-to-be allegedly group occurrence to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building conscionable hours earlier her wedding day.

Lenita Joy Moreno, 25, was arrested Monday successful relationship pinch nan July 10 incident, which caused an estimated $108,000 successful damages, arsenic reported by CBS connection KUTV.

She is being held without bail astatine nan Davis County Jail, wherever she faces first-degree aggravated arson charges and misdemeanor charges of unit theft and providing mendacious accusation to a bid officer. According to tribunal filings, Moreno initially identified herself to constabulary utilizing nan sanction Tessa Moran alternatively than her ineligible name.

According to tribunal records seen by Fox 12 Salt Lake City, emergency responders were dispatched to nan religion astatine 198 West Center Street astir 10:07 p.m. Family members who were wrong preparing for nan adjacent day’s ceremonial told constabulary they were getting fresh to time off erstwhile nan occurrence siren sounded.

The group discovered nan blaze wrong nan Relief Society room of nan building. One personification managed to douse nan occurrence utilizing h2o from wedding decorations, while different extinguished nan remaining flames pinch a occurrence extinguisher, according to KUTV.

Fire investigators wished that nan blaze was group beneath a chair utilizing different materials.

“It is believed that Lenita (Tessa) started a occurrence wrong a religion building while 5 others were still inside,” a probable origin affidavit obtained by KUTV stated. “Lenita did not get a matrimony licence for her ain wedding that was to hap nan pursuing time aft nan occurrence but had lied stating she had.”

Police interviewed nan groom, who said he and Moreno had entered nan Relief Society room to unafraid nan building soon earlier nan siren activated.

The groom told officers that nan mates had visited an Ace Hardware shop earlier that time to acquisition hooks for nan venue decor. Security footage reviewed by investigators showed Moreno stealing 2 to 3 lighters from nan shop while nan groom was elsewhere successful nan building, according to KUTV.

When questioned by authorities, Moreno admitted to shoplifting from nan hardware shop but declined to authorities what items she had taken, according to tribunal filings.