Woman charged in House of Art fire was convicted of arson in 2021

As Eva Marie Torrellas appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, the judge was looking into a prior arson conviction she had from 2021 in New York.
Posted 1/15/2025, 9:37:00 PM Updated 1/16/2025, 1:32:41 PM

THE WAY I'M GOING TO TRACK THAT

COMING UP. ALL RIGHT. THANK

YOU, MIKE.

>> THE WOMAN ACCUSED OF SETTING

A BELOVED DOWNTOWN RALEIGH BAR

ON FIRE. FACED A JUDGE FOR THE

FIRST TIME TODAY. EVEN MURRAY

TO RE U.S. FACES A FELONY

CHARGE OF DESTROYED THE HOUSE

OF ART LAST WEEK. SURVEILLANCE

VIDEO HELPED IDENTIFY HER AND

IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME SHE'S

FACED CHARGES FOR STARTING A

FIRE WRAL. SHAUN GALLAGHER

JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM THE

HOUSE OF ART IN RALEIGH, SEAN,

DO WE KNOW THE REASON WHY?

>> DEB, RIGHT NOW, WE STILL

DON'T HAVE A MOTIVE FOR WHY A

FIRE WAS SET HERE DESTROYING

HOUSE OF ART JUST LAST WEEK.

BUT THE WOMAN WHO'S BEING

ACCUSED AND CHARGED FOR

STARTING THIS FIRE WAS ACTUALLY

ACCUSED OF SOMETHING SIMILAR

JUST A FEW YEARS AGO IN A

DIFFERENT STATE.

>> DISHEVELED AND CONFUSED AVA

MARIA TERESA HAS MADE HER FIRST

APPEARANCE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

YEAH, GOOD AFTERNOON. MISS EVEN

LEAD TO A U.S. PROSECUTORS

BELIEVE THE 59 YEAR-OLD DOES

NOT HAVE A HOME. LAW

ENFORCEMENT BELIEVES SHE'S THE

WOMAN IN THIS SURVEILLANCE

PHOTO. AND IN THIS VIDEO

WALKING FROM OFF THE PORCH OF A

HOUSE OF ART LAST WEEK, YOU'RE

GIVING A BOARDING PASS TO THE

CORNER PERSON 3 OR PROBABLY

FIRE TELLS WRAL. NO ONE CALLED

THIS FIRE IN A CREW HAPPENED TO

SEE IT ON THEIR WAY BACK TO

THE STATION. AND WHILE NO ONE

WAS HURT, THE FIRE DESTROYED

THE BELOVED BARS. I NEVER WOULD

HAVE THOUGHT THAT I WOULD COME.

YOU SEE THIS WAS LIKE IS NOW A

WEEK LATER IN COURT PRIOR

CONVICTIONS IN NEW YORK FOR OUR

SON, WE LEARNED THIS ISN'T THE

FIRST TIME TO RAISE HAS BEEN

ACCUSED OF SETTING A BUILDING

ON FIRE.

>> IN UPSTATE NEW YORK TO REYES

WAS ARRESTED FOR ARSON IN 2021.

WE'VE REQUESTED MORE

INFORMATION FROM THE ONEIDA

POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S

NOT CLEAR WHAT PUNISHMENT SHE

RECEIVED. THIS. TAKE IT A

LITTLE MORE OF THE FACTS OF

THIS IS SOME SOUND ISSUES.

FIRST APPEARANCES ARE TYPICALLY

AN EVENTFUL. YOU FIND OUT WHO

WILL REPRESENT YOU. WHAT YOUR

BOND AND WHEN'S YOUR NEXT COURT

DATE. BUT ARE A U.S. DIDN'T

APPEAR TO UNDERSTAND THE

GRAVITY OF WHAT SHE'S FACING?

>> YES,

>> MA'AM. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE

HERE FOR TODAY.

THAT IS DONE. WE'LL SEE

FEBRUARY 5TH AT 09:00AM.

THAT'S WHEN YOUR ACTUAL COURT

DATE WILL BE SET A A

I'M NOT FREE TO GO HOME AT THIS

POINT UNLESS YOU'RE ABLE TO

POST A BOND.

>> AND TORRES WAS GIVEN A

$250,000 BOND AND SHE'LL BE

BACK IN COURT NEXT MONTH IN