Louisville woman sentenced to decades in prison for intentional fire that killed mother, 2 children

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Seven years after a fire that killed three people in a Louisville apartment, the woman who pleaded guilty to setting it is headed to prison for 46 years.

The 2017 fire at a six-unit apartment building on Shanks Lane in southwest Louisville led to the deaths of 41-year-old Archie Riley, 16-year-old Savannah Cooper, and 11-year-old Kameron Harris. At Thursday's sentencing hearing, family members of the woman and two children who were killed recounted all the pain and hurt they’ve experienced.

Fatal Fire Victims — It has been nearly four years since Wayne Riley lost his wife and two stepchildren in a fatal fire, but he said the memories, the emotions and the pain are still raw.

Danesha Peden pleaded guilty to 19 criminal charges, including three counts of murder, one count of arson and 15 counts of wanton endangerment. The Louisville Metro Arson Bureau investigator said she started the fire over a domestic dispute with someone else.

"You destroyed me and my life," Skye Riley said. "You've made me a puzzle that will always miss three pieces. So while I acknowledged it was intentional, I won't forget. I won't forget the hole in my heart you caused. And I pray that you never forget the sweet lives you took. I pray you never forget the 8-year-old girl you destroyed, traumatized and broken."

Peden didn't say a word Thursday as she sat by her attorney as the victims' family members spoke just feet away. She only nodded when the judge told her before sentencing she better listen and think about these words.

A pending civil case against Peden and the apartment complex remains active. She isn't eligible for parole.

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