Trial Date Set for NEIA Woman Accused of Setting Fire That Destroyed Three Homes
A trial date has been set for a northeast Iowa woman facing felony arson charges following a fire that destroyed three homes, including the house she lived in.
Oelwein Police (OPD) say the June 3rd fire started just after 2am at a home of the accused arsonist, 50-year-old Jeannie Murphy of Oelwein, located in the 300 block of First Avenue Northeast in Oelwein. The fire then spread to two neighboring homes, with all three homes total losses.
OPD said firefighters deemed the fire suspicious in nature and, later that day, Murphy was arrested. She is charged with two counts of first-degree arson, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, plus one count of second-degree arson, a Class C felony.
According to criminal complaints, Murphy admitted to setting the fire that burned down the three houses, setting the house she lived in on fire first.
On July 1st, Murphy entered not guilty pleas to the charges and, on June 7th, her trial was scheduled for October 1st in Fayette County District Court.
Murphy remains held in the Fayette County Jail in West Union on $150,000 cash bond.
In 2023, Murphy was charged with domestic assault after she poured what she claimed was homemade acid on a man in the same home destroyed by last week’s fire. She took a plea deal for a two-day jail sentence.
While in the Fayette County Jail for the acid assault, Murphy attacked a detention officer and she was charged with attempted murder. She later took a plea deal to assault on persons in certain occupations and received a year of probation.
