Woman who said she was "burning a witch" pleads guilty to murder and arson
BALL CLUB, Minn. -- A woman who claimed she was "burning a witch" when she set fire to a camper in Itasca County over the summer has pleaded guilty to murder and arson.
Crystal Wilson, 42, pleaded guilty in Itasca County District Court on Monday to second-degree intentional murder and first-degree arson. She faces up to 37 years in prison.
According to charging documents Wilson went to a camper van in Ball Club to obtain methamphetamine and alcohol on July 18. After using meth in the camper with the victim, Wilson said she stabbed him multiple times with a butcher knife.
She went unconscious and then woke to find the victim, who was cold to the touch. She grabbed a lighter and lit the camper on fire, and said she thought she was "burning a witch."
Charges say that when officers searched the camper, they found no butcher knife present but did retrieve a pair of needle nose pliers.
Wilson will be sentenced on Jan. 20, 2023.
