Woman Gets Life For Setting Exotic Dancer on Fire

A 28-year-old Tarzana woman was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for setting an exotic dancer on fire outside a Tarzana nightclub.

Rianne Theriault-Odom was convicted in February of attacking Roberta Busby, 28, outside the "Babes and Beer" nightclub on February 5, 2009, dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire.

Busby attended the sentencing hearing and tearfully asked that Theriault-Odom be sent away for life.

"Now you're going to feel the same heartache that I felt when I couldn't hug, kiss or play with my kids or even talk to my kids," the 28-year-old mother of two told her attacker, reading from a letter in court.

"I guess I'll never know what was going through your mind that night, but one day you'll have to answer to God, and that's more justice than any prison can do to you," Busby said.

Theriault-Odom was convicted of aggravated mayhem and torture but acquitted of attempted murder on Feb. 11.

Busby, a mother of two, suffered second and third degree burns over 40 percent of her body in the attack. She was hospitalized for five months and had thirty skin grafts. She says she still has difficulty eating and can't open her mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich.

Theriault-Odom testified that Busby punched her but she did not attack her. She also testified that someone else doused Busby with the flammable liquid. She told jurors Busby disrespected her that night and made fun of the stage name "Jen" Theriault-Odom had picked.

She admitted to being very drunk on the night of the attack. She told jurors she drank two double shots of Russian vodka, half a fifth of Patrón tequila and five shots of Hennessy cognac.

Initially, police arrested a former DJ at the club, Nathaniel Marquis Petrillo, 23, of Reseda for setting Busby on fire. But prosecutors later said they did not have sufficient evidence to charge him.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Woman
• Gets
• Life
• For
• Setting
• Exotic
• Dancer
• on
• Fire

[candyipful]

Why are more people lately going to that extreme of setting someone on fire? That is the most cruelest thing you can do to a human being or any living thing. You don't even do that to your worst enemy. Disgusting...

Poor woman, now she has to live disfigured for life, can't never have a high paying job, can't go back to dancing, nor date and her kids are gonna be hunted for life while that stupid cow must be laughing.

[1dontlook2]

@AZJamie1 sorry, im just used to people being arrogant about some real terrible stuff and sometimes it just pisses me off. instead of me looking at it like some1 trying put some positivity in the comments, i looked at it was just some asshole who just like to be a dick. sorry bout that man :\

[AZJamie1]

It just doesn't seem to be about this woman anymore, does it? it's just about you taking the moral high ground over some asshole. Look at you arguing with some kid over the internet, thinking I'm someone whose mind can be changed. I'm just some asshole, and the sooner you realize that and move on with your life, the better.

[AZJamie1]

@1dontlook2 You just can't get over this bitch, can you? It's just one stupid comment that I made, and you had to have something to say about it. What happened to this woman was a horrible thing that no one should ever have to go through, but it doesn't stop people from saying what they want about her. I don't think what happened to her was funny, I just wanted to make a stupid joke out of it, because sometimes when you see a depressing, disgusted thing it's nice to find SOMETHING to laugh at.

[1dontlook2]

@AZJamie1 wow that was a good combat

[AZJamie1]

@1dontlook2 Both wrong. I'm some 15 year old motha fucka with nothing to do now, but at least I'm not some toasty bitch like you.

[1dontlook2]

@AZJamie1 ur either some 12 year old with no life or some lonely motha fucker who doesnt have anything else better to do

[AZJamie1]

@1dontlook2 I can watch whatever the fuck I want and say whatever the fuck I want you toasty bitch.

[1dontlook2]

@AZJamie1 posting a comment like that is just offensive. go watch something else is you wanna post stuff like that

[AZJamie1]

@1dontlook2 I wasn't trying to be. I was just saying that this was one toasty bitch.