A Clayton County woman has been sentenced to five life sentences for setting a motel fire that killed five members of a family, including two children, Channel 2 Action News reported.
A jury in December found Sheree Murphy, 45, guilty of felony murder, arson and aggravated battery in the June 2007 fire at the Budget Inn Motel in Riverdale.
Killed in the fire were Fred Colston, 26, his girlfriend, Shikita Jones, 32, and two of her three children: Devon Butler, 11 and Desha Butler, 10. Jones' oldest child, Shae'von Butler, now a high school student, survived the fire and testified at Murphy's trial.
Jones' uncle Melvin Jones, who was visiting the family, also was killed in the fire. Ten other people were injured, including seven firefighters.
The woman, a crack user, set the fire because she was angry with a drug dealer who lived at the motel, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said they initially sought the death penalty against Murphy, but a deal was struck where Murphy's attorneys opted for the possibility of life without parole.
-- Staff writer Tammy Joyner contributed to this article.
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