Woman sentenced to 81+ years for deadly Tacoma arson spree

Woman sentenced to 81 years for deadly arson spree in Tacoma

Sarah Ramey had the city of Tacoma on edge for months in 2022 after a string of intentionally-set fires, one killing an elderly man.

TACOMA, Wash. - Sarah Ramey, the woman responsible for a deadly arson spree in Tacoma that spanned between late 2021 and early 2022, was sentenced to over 81 years in prison on Tuesday.

Jurors convicted Ramey of intentionally setting three houses on fire, with one of the fires claiming the life of an 83-year-old man. She was originally charged with over 17 counts of first-degree arson back in 2022, with court documents saying she started 15 different house fires.

Ramey's trial began on April 15, where prosecutors displayed an abundance of evidence against the 45-year-old woman.

Investigators said she left an Emerald Queen Casino membership card with her name on it at one of the fires, and was in possession of several credit cards that were stolen from burned homes.

Ramey was also found guilty of killing James Elliott, an elderly man who died of smoke inhalation after Ramey set his home on fire. She also tried to fraudulently cash multiple checks from the stolen checkbook of Elliott's late wife, prosecutors said.

Ramey was sentenced to 81 years and eight months in prison for her crimes.