PORTLAND, Ore. — The suspect who was arrested last January for setting a fire that destroyed a historic abandoned church in downtown Portland has been convicted and sentenced to psychiatric custody.
On Aug. 7, Nicolette Fait was found guilty except for insanity on two counts of first-degree arson, one count of second-degree arson and one count of second-degree burglary.
The judge sent Fait to the Oregon State Hospital, where she'll be in the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for up to 20 years. She is prohibited from purchasing or owning a firearm.
In early Jan. 2023, a fire on Southwest 10th Avenue and Clay Street destroyed the building, which was built in 1905. The building itself was formerly home to the Portland Korean Church, which was permanently closed years prior. At the time of the fire, the building was owned by local dentist Dr. Hadi Nouredine, according to city records. The building was then demolished shortly after the fire.
About 80 firefighters responded to the blaze, and there were concerns of the building taking out overhead streetcar power lines. Fire got into the building's walls and singed a nearby home, though fire crews were able to save the house. Five residents were displaced from the home.
No one was in the church building at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
Fire investigators later arrested 27-year-old Nicolette Fait, who told detectives she heard voices saying she would be mutilated if she did not torch the church. Fait indicated that she suffered from schizophrenia and had been using opioids.
Fait initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but was later found to be unfit to aid in her own defense. The court ultimately found that though Fait would have been guilty of the crimes, psychiatric evaluators determined that she suffered from schizoaffective disorder and lacked the ability to conform her conduct "to the requirements of the law."
