This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 16-year-old girl walked out of court Friday, smiling and clearly satisfied with the suspended prison sentence she received for destroying an LDS church in Sugar House last year.
Judge Deno Himonas sentenced Christina Bell to five years to life for first-degree felony aggravated arson, but suspended the sentence, giving her three years probation.
Bell, who will remain under house arrest for 90 days, was also ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution.
Certified to be tried as an adult, Bell pleaded guilty to the charge in April. Prosecutors said she broke into an LDS church in her neighborhood on Nov. 7 with a 19-year-old classmate, Michael Aaron Ferguson. The teens spray-painted graffiti on walls, smashed property, poured gasoline and ignited it, prosecutors said.
Ferguson pleaded guilty to second-degree felony arson and was sentenced in April to probation.
The LeGrand Ward Chapel, at 1078 S. McClelland St. (1045 East), did not burn down but was destroyed by smoke and water from fire hoses, prosecutors said.
The church was a "convenient target" for Bell, who was experiencing personal problems at the time and acting out, said defense attorney Mark Besendorfer. "It was kind of a fluke that a ward house was the object of what happened."
Bell lived near the church, but her family did not attend services there, Besendorfer said.
According to police reports, Bell told Ferguson that day, "I want to burn something." Two men living next door caught the teens leaving the church and held them until police arrived.
In court Friday, Bell apologized to the judge for what she did.
"That night was the one night I'd like to take back," Bell said. "I'd just like to do anything I can do to fix it."
Bell's dad, Morris Bell, said church officials have been supportive of the family, going as far as writing a letter supporting the lenient sentence the teen received.
"We are so thankful for the incredible graciousness they have shown," Morris Bell said of members of the church. "They have shown unconditional love for us."
Church officials estimated the damage at $1.9 million. While Bell will make payments, it is unlikely she will be expected to pay all the damages, Besendorfer said.