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Sarah Jane Ramey was convicted of first-degree murder and multiple other crimes in a Tacoma-area arson series that killed James Elliott, 83, on December 31, 2021, and was sentenced to 980 months in prison.

Elliott died of smoke inhalation after firefighters found him inside his home at 2 Rosemount Way in North Tacoma, Washington, on New Year's Eve. He had lived for decades in the house, which was built in 1909, and his wife had died about a month earlier. Ramey lived in the Tacoma area. Reports describe no prior relationship between Ramey and Elliott, and no personal motive for targeting his home was established.

The fire was initially treated as accidental. Between late December 2021 and late January 2022, a series of fires was set at homes, garages and vehicles in Tacoma and Ruston, many of them at occupied houses. Prosecutors said nine of the fires she was later convicted of involved occupied homes, with at least 26 victims.

After the January 2022 fires, police and the ATF re-examined the Rosemount Way fire. Investigators using a police dog concluded it had been intentionally set, reversing the early accidental finding. Surveillance video, GPS data and a latent print led investigators to Ramey. She was arrested on January 28, 2022, two days after six suspicious fires were set within about four hours.

Investigators said Elliott's checkbook and three cards belonging to his late wife were found in Ramey's truck, along with two metal containers of gasoline, a torch-style lighter, keys and stolen mail. Prosecutors said phone location data placed her near the Rosemount Way fire for hours. They said she later searched for news of Elliott's death and used his family's cards afterward.

The recorded interview took place after her arrest, and the uploader dates it January 28, 2022. Two detectives told Ramey they were not uniformed patrol officers and asked her to sign a rights waiver. She said she had just been arrested outside the home of her late boyfriend's parents. When shown surveillance video of a woman at one scene, she denied involvement in the fires.

Ramey was first charged with arson and related counts, and a first-degree murder charge was added after the Rosemount Way fire was reclassified. She pleaded not guilty and went to trial in Pierce County Superior Court. On July 3, 2024, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, 13 counts of arson, two counts of attempted first-degree arson, burglary, identity theft and motor vehicle theft. She was acquitted of three arson counts. On July 23, 2024, Judge Angelica Williams imposed an exceptional sentence of 980 months, more than 81 years, above the standard range of about 34 to 45 years. Prosecutors had asked for about 117 years. The defense described childhood trauma, mental health diagnoses and the death of her partner in August 2021. An appeal was indicated, and no appellate outcome has been reported.

The video is a police interview-room recording that runs about 41 minutes. It presents the interview itself and opens with a short narrated introduction naming the people involved.