Lafayette County Grand Jury Indicts Batesville Woman on First-Degree Arson Charge

Christina Laureen Willis, already facing state and federal charges for allegedly trying to blow up her ex-boyfriend, was recently indicted by a Lafayette County grand jury on a first-degree arson charge accusing her of setting fire to the same man's residence on County Road 333 on Nov. 19, 2024.

If convicted of first-degree arson, Willis faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. The indictment adds another layer to a sprawling criminal case that has grown to include attempted murder, conspiracy, and federal explosives charges.

The alleged victim, identified by SuperTalk Mississippi as Bobby Bryant, is the same ex-boyfriend at the center of the broader bombing investigation. Willis and alleged co-conspirator Mark Edward Montgomery, 48, of Batesville, are accused of working together to build an explosive device, place it in Bryant's car, and detonate it while he was driving. Willis pleaded guilty to state charges in that case last October and has not yet been sentenced, according to SuperTalk Mississippi.

The investigation into the vehicle bombing led law enforcement to Willis and Montgomery. During a search of their shared residence on Aug. 4, 2025, state and federal officials recovered bomb-making materials, homemade high explosive substances, firearms, and narcotics. Another explosive device was found inside the home and rendered safe on scene by bomb technicians.

Earlier, a homemade bomb had been discovered on a vehicle in the southwest portion of Lafayette County on June 20. Authorities said bomb technicians examined the suspicious package and determined it was a live, homemade explosive device. A subsequent search of a home along Highway 35 South in Panola County turned up another bomb, additional bomb-making materials, guns, and drugs.

In September 2025, Willis was named in a three-count federal indictment. She is accused of possessing two separate bombs in May and June of last year. A third federal count alleges Willis illegally possessed two shotguns and a .22-caliber rifle while she was "an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance." If convicted of all three federal felonies, she could face up to 35 years in federal prison.

Montgomery's case has already reached a resolution in federal court. When an escape plot was uncovered, he was arrested first on an escape conspiracy charge. A federal grand jury indicted him days later on possession of a destructive device, and he subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.

Willis's arson indictment, state charges, and pending federal case leave her facing potential decades of combined exposure across multiple proceedings, with her sentencing on the state bomb-related guilty plea still ahead.