The true story behind Suze Adams crime

Oxygen recently re-aired the Snapped: Women Who Murder episode on Suze Adams, who was accused of the murder of Kristina Soult and the attempted murder of three others with her. The episode was originally aired on June 7, 2020.

The episode follows in detail the case of Soult, a hardworking mother who was trapped and killed in a California house fire on June 18, 2004. When investigators started looking into the case to figure out how the fire happened, they came across clues that led them to Suze Adams, and it was discovered that she deliberately set fire to Soult's home.

Suze Adams set fire to Kristina Soult's home

Oxygen covered the chilling case of Kristina Soult (Representative image via Getty)

Suze Adams, a woman from California, set fire to the home of Kristina Soult on June 18, 2004. This resulted in Soult’s death and endangered the lives of three others who were inside the house at the time. Moreover, previously that year, in March 2004, Adams had already made an attempt to set fire to Soult’s home, but that was a failed attempt and did not lead to any loss of lives or any serious injury.

As per the court documents of PEOPLE v. ADAMS (2008), Adams had premeditated the arson by soaking rosemary sprigs in rubbing alcohol for over a week to create an accelerant. She had placed these near the entry points of the house to escalate the fire. Investigators from the case had described her actions as "methodical," and it was reported that she said she would do it “more professionally” the next time.

According to Adams, Kristina Soult had been harassing and stalking her. She said that she had been making threatening calls to her, which made Adams act in the way she did out of fear and anger. Adams portrayed herself as the victim in the case despite the gruesome nature of the crime she had committed.

Adams was convicted despite her attempts to frame herself as a victim

Suze Adams was convicted of arson (Representative image via Getty)

In the entire case, Suze Adams attempted to portray herself as the target of a campaign of harassment that was being perpetrated against her by Soult. But despite this, her deliberate arson and the evidence against her, which was presented at the trial, overwhelmingly confirmed her as the perpetrator.

Adams had made a calculated preparation and even made a prior attempt at arson, which confirmed that she was the perpetrator. Initially, during a polygraph interrogation, Adams had vehemently denied any involvement in the crime. But afterwards, under pressure, she finally admitted to starting the fire and went on to defend her action as an act of “temporary insanity," as per court documents.

Suze Adams was finally convicted in 2007 of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted murder. On July 17, 2007, she was given the sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, along with convictions for arson and attempted murder.

The case of Suze Adams was featured on Snapped: Women Who Murder, season 27, episode 11. The episode featured interviews with prosecutors who worked on the case, as well as the victim’s son, Mike Vanek, who opened up about the emotional trial, his testimony, and his shock and disbelief at Adams’s actions and her portrayal of herself as the victim in the case.

Catch more about the case on Snapped: Women Who Murder, Season 27, Episode 11, which is now available to stream on Peacock.

Edited by Meghna