Lenita “Tessa” Joy Moreno, 25, is accused of stealing lighters and using a tampon to start a fire at a Mormon church in Kaysville, Utah, on July 10 — the night before she was due to marry there.
Alleged theft and fire
Court documents say Moreno and her fiancé visited an Ace Hardware store earlier that day to buy hooks for wedding decorations. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Moreno pocketing two or three cigarette lighters while her fiancé was elsewhere.
Later that evening, the couple and four family members were at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting house setting up. Police claim Moreno and her fiancé left the Relief Society room shortly before the fire alarm sounded. Relatives reportedly found flames under a chair and extinguished them with a fire extinguisher and water from the wedding decorations.
Damage and investigation
The Kaysville Fire Department called police, who worked with local and federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities determined the fire was deliberately set using unusual materials, including a tampon. The damage bill is put at more than $108,000 (about £84,000). Six people were inside the building at the time.
False identity and lies
Moreno’s story quickly unraveled. Police say she initially gave a false identity — “Tessa Moran” — and a false birthdate on the night of the fire. When questioned about the alleged shoplifting, she admitted taking something but refused to say what, according to East Idaho News.
Investigators also found she had repeatedly lied to her fiancé and family about securing a marriage license; state records show no such document was issued for the planned wedding. “Lenita [Moreno] is from out of state and through the investigation has been found to… continually be deceptive and take drastic steps to hide her lies,” an arresting officer wrote.
Moreno was booked into the Davis County Jail on July 27 and is held without bail. She faces a first-degree felony charge of aggravated arson, plus misdemeanor counts of retail theft and providing false information to a peace officer.
