Wagga Woman Jailed For Starting Fire That Killed Former Roommate

A Wagga Wagga woman has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for starting a house fire that killed her former roommate.

Jennifer Louise Hay was sentenced to a minimum of six years and 10 months in the NSW District Court on Monday for the manslaughter of 36-year-old Kylie Green.

Hay was evicted from her home in Wagga Wagga after verbally attacking her roommate sand is believed to have returned with a lighter which she used to set the house on fire.

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The 49-year-old was also charged and found guilty of recklessly damaging or destroying by fire the Kooringal home in February 2019.

According to Judge Gordon Lerve who handed down the sentence of a maximum of 10 years and three months, 36-year-old Green “would have suffered a horrible death”.

Back in January of 2019, Hay ran into 41-year-old Jennifer Stroud-Watts who invited Hay to stay with her after finding out she had nowhere to live.

Hay began abusing Stroud-Watts’ foster sister who suffers from a number of physical conditions including obesity.

Hay made multiple threats before being evicted from the home and eventually returning to collect her belongings.

The 49-year-old then returned to the property once more at around 6AM while the two women inside of the house were sleeping and set a patio couch alight.

The flames quickly spread through the house with MS Stroud-Watts waking in time to escape the home after attempting to wake Ms Green by banging on her bedroom door.

A neighbour and fire fighters attempted to free Green, who was unable to escape through the same window as Stroud-Watts.

Green was pronounced dead after the flames were put out.

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