Man Gets 15 Years for Church Arsons
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A former Church of Christ minister was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for burning or vandalizing four Mormon houses of worship, including one where his ex-lover was the organist.
Prosecutors said Walter Grassie, 50, went on a rampage because he was angry when organist Sharlene Jensen broke off their affair after eight years in 1998, saying that her Mormon faith does not allow divorce.
Before being led from an Albuquerque, N.M., courtroom, Grassie was ordered to pay almost $3 million in restitution to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Associated Press reported.
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