This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Sentencing set for woman convicted of setting Tarzana exotic dancer on fire
A woman convicted of torture and mayhem for setting exotic dancer Roberta Busby on fire outside a Tarzana bikini bar on Feb. 5, 2009 is scheduled to be sentenced today.
Rianne Theriault-Odom, 28, of Tarzana, is facing a life prison term when she appears before Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Susan Speer.
Jurors acquitted Theriault-Odom of attempted murder in the Feb. 5, 2009, attack on Roberta Busby, but convicted her of torture and mayhem.
Theriault-Odom argued with the victim outside Babes & Beer, where Busby worked as a dancer, and then doused the Simi Valley mother of two with an accelerant from a soda bottle she was holding and set her on fire, according to authorities.
The victim ran back inside the bikini bar, and the club's employees and some patrons used curtains to douse the flames.
Santo-Busby – who was 27 at the time of the attack that left her severely scarred – has undergone more than two dozen skin graft operations. She sat in the back of the courtroom with her mother as the verdict was announced Feb. 11.