Woman Charged With Murder In Chelsea Arson Fire
CHELSEA (CBS) – A woman is now charged with murder and arson after she allegedly set her apartment in Chelsea on fire Christmas Eve.
26-year-old Melissa Pfeiffer was arrested Thursday and charged with starting the fire that killed her upstairs neighbor and seriously injured another person in their building on Spruce Street.
She was arraigned Friday afternoon in Chelsea District Court and ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors say she had a fight with her boyfriend that night, he left and she set his clothes on fire.
WBZ Radio's Carl Stevens reports
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WBZ-TV's Sera Congi reports
It broke out around 11 p.m. December 24 on the ground floor of the five unit apartment building.
A resident on the second floor, 20-year-old Crystal Lynn Blanchard, died.
A 33-year-old man, reportedly her boyfriend, was also hurt. He escaped by jumping out a window.
Pfeiffer's attorney called her a fire victim and pointed out that her boyfriend has an arson conviction on his record.
