NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A former infectious disease physician who admitted she tried to set a 99-year-old woman’s home on fire, to get back at a romantic rival, will serve more than 11 months in a Montgomery County jail.
Amy Cohen was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Cohen, 36, of Narberth, pleaded guilty to charges including arson and stalking after admitting she sent threatening letters in November 2023 to the family of her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, with photos of the woman and her sister with their eyes crossed out. Cohen accused them of spreading Islamophobia and threatened them with harm if they didn’t leave Pennsylvania.
Not long after she sent the letters, Cohen was seen in a doorbell camera video, spraying lighter fluid on the porch of the sisters’ 99-year-old grandmother and trying to set the Lower Merion home on fire.
At Cohen’s sentencing, one of the granddaughters told the court the confusion over who was behind the threats created an endless cycle of anxiety that still affects her today. The sisters said they’ve been looking over their shoulders constantly since learning Cohen was released from a treatment center.
Cohen apologized to the family.
A forensic psychologist testified Cohen had emotional and psychological challenges throughout her life, and at the time of her crimes was abusing Adderall, which caused induced psychosis. He says after in-patient treatment, and with continuing therapy, Cohen is a minimal threat.
But the judge noted the arson was premeditated and planned, and the accusations of islamophobia could have sparked retribution.