VAN NUYS, Calif. -- A Tarzana woman was charged Wednesday with attempted murder, mayhem and torture for allegedly setting an exotic dancer on fire outside a Tarzana bar, leaving her in critical condition.
Rianne Celine Theriault-Odom, 27, pleaded not guilty late Wednesday afternoon in Van Nuys Superior Court to the three felony counts.
She is accused of dousing the dancer with a flammable liquid and setting her on fire.
Prosecutors declined to file charges against 22-year-old Nathaniel Petrillo, citing a lack of evidence. He was arrested along with Theriault-Odom at a Lankershim Boulevard motel on Monday, but later released.
Theriault-Odom allegedly argued with 27-year-old Roberta Dos Santo-Busby outside Babes & Beer at 18454 Oxnard St. about 1:30 a.m. last Thursday. Dos Santo worked as a dancer at the club.
Theriault-Odom is accused of dousing the mother of two with an accelerant from a soda bottle she was holding and setting her on fire.
The victim, who suffered severe burns over about 60 percent of her body, remains in critical condition.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Santo-Busby, a Simi Valley resident, was counting tips inside the bikini bar just before closing time when she was called outside, police said.
She ran back inside after being attacked, and the club's employees and some patrons used curtains to douse the flames.
Theriault-Odom, who is jailed in lieu of $1 million bail, is due back in court Feb. 25.
If convicted, she faces up to life in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.
