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Mom of burn victim admits to lying about fire

Posted at 8:04 AM, May 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-17 09:48:28-04

A New York woman is admitting she lied about her whereabouts the night a fire broke out at her home, killing her family.

It's the same fire that left 8-year-old Safyre Terry badly burned. She's the young girl who received more than a million Christmas cards after her wish for them went viral.

Jennica Duell pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday, saying she gave two different stories regarding her whereabouts the night of the Hulett Street fire that killed three of her children and their father.

Duell's defense attorney says her client is broken.

"It doesn't take away from the fact that all of this brings back a lot of horrible emotions and a lot of PTSD from someone who had a lot of issues to begin with," said Cheryl Coleman.

Duell faces up to 15 years in prison when she is sentenced in September.

Currently, no one has been charged with setting the fire.