AURORA, Colo. — The woman who started a large fire at an Aurora apartment complex in January of last year that killed a 5-year-old boy was sentenced Friday to 42 years in prison after she pleaded guilty earlier this year to a second-degree murder charge.
"The doctors said they did everything they could," said Edlyn Bautista. "The mother of Abner Salmeron-Bautista. "Those words destroyed me."
Abner died on Jan. 24, 2022, in a fire at an apartment complex on East Evans Avenue in Aurora that was ruled an arson. Alondra Michel was arrested shortly after the fire and initially charged with 34 counts, including multiple counts of attempted murder and arson. In March, she pleaded guilty to just four charges and a sentence enhancer, while the other counts were dismissed.
>The video above is a prior report about the deadly fire.
"This is a good person who did a bad thing," said District Judge Shay Whitaker as she sentenced Michel to 42 years for a second-degree murder charge, which was just shy of the 45-year maximum.
She also sentenced Michel to 10 years for each of three arson charges but those will be served concurrently with the 42-year sentence.
Bautista spoke at the hearing Friday about the huge impact the fire had on her life.
"I think about that night every day - right now I'm in pain because of you [Michel],' she said. "I have no motivation to live. I sometimes want to die because I want to be with my son."
She said she's moved out of a state because there were too many memories in Colorado with her son. She also said she and her husband split up as a result of the stress from their son's death.
"You destroyed me and my family and even his [Abner's] friends," said Bautista. "Nothing compares to the pain I have. There is no cure for grieving."
Aurora Fire Rescue responded to the complex at 15320 E. Evans Ave. around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2022. Fire crews rescued multiple people from the building. Crews searched the three floors for potential victims and evacuated nine patients. Three people were taken to the hospital.
Abner was found on a bed in a second-floor unit and taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
A woman who broke her pelvis after she jumped from a third-floor window to save her life spoke at the sentencing. She said she's now "stuck at work" and missing time with her family in order to pay her extensive medical bills.
"I have no other words to say except this is just a very traumatizing event that happened and for that, I hope she pays the consequences," she told the court.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Aurora Police Department(APD), Michel set fire to a blanket inside a ground-floor apartment after an argument with her boyfriend over text messages.
Her attorney said Friday that Michel was abused or hurt by almost every man she ever loved and when she saw text messages that indicated her boyfriend might be cheating on her it brought back a flood of emotions which resulted in her setting the fire.
When she met with investigators after the fire, Michel said the blanket caught fire immediately and she knew it was going "to get big," the affidavit says. She said she attempted to put water on the fire, but it had no effect.
At the sentencing hearing, Michel's five children, as well as her mother and several nieces, nephews, and even coworkers, spoke on her behalf. They all said that Michel was a "good person" and was both a mother and father to her children. Her oldest son said they hadn't seen their father in 13 or 14 years.
"My mom is a very kind person and a very hard-working woman," her oldest son Sebastian Jimenez said. "It's very difficult not having her. I hope my mom gets the right amount of time. We hope to see her. We hope to hug her again."
Her nephew said Michel made a mistake and said he hoped she'd get a second chance.
"She wants everyone in this room to know how deeply and truly sorry she is," Michel's attorney said as she argued for a shorter sentence. "Her heart hurts every day for Ms. Bautista, everyone in the apartment, and her family.
Michels' only statement to the court was, "I just want to say I'm very sorry to the family."
Despite the loss of her son, Bautista said she could not hold a grudge against Michel and was taught to forgive no matter what.
"Alondra Michel, I forgive you," she said. "I'm not mad at you. I actually wish you the best in life."
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