“It’s hard to just sit there and see the person who actually did it, and she didn’t even have any remorse,’’ said Scott Cappella, the stepfather of the victim, Crystal Lynn Blanchard. Cappella, standing on a sidewalk outside Chelsea District Court yesterday, had just attended the arraignment, at which Pfeiffer, 26, was ordered held without bail.
Cappella said that the family had been planning to celebrate Christmas together and that a special meal and presents were awaiting his stepdaughter.
“When we heard the news on Christmas Day, my family just couldn’t think of holidays,’’ said Timothy Blanchard Jr., 18, the victim’s brother, an Army private who was home on leave when the fatal fire broke out. “Christmas was over for us. . . . I couldn’t think of anything, I couldn’t do anything. My family is still like that now. We just don’t know what to do right now.’’
Pfeiffer — dressed in a white, hooded sweatshirt under a thick black coat — appeared weary-eyed during the arraignment. She stood behind a clear partition and did not speak, but her lawyer, James Doyle, pleaded not guilty on his client’s behalf.
According to prosecutor Mark Lee and a report from the Chelsea Police Department, Pfeiffer and her boyfriend, William Brewer, argued until about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 24. Brewer then left their first-floor apartment at 295 Spruce St., and Pfeiffer then allegedly lit a piece of paper and used it to set fire to a bag that contained his clothing. Brewer returned a short time later, saw Pfeiffer leaving the house, and realized that he had been locked out.
At that time, four people riding in a passing car noticed a fire inside the multifamily residence and called 911.
The passersby tried to help Blanchard’s boyfriend, Paul Pitts, as he jumped from the second-story apartment they shared. Pitts, who sustained burns on his legs and fingers, was injured in the jump.
“Blanchard could not get out,’’ Lee said during the arraignment.
He said that at least two people, including the defendant’s boyfriend, heard Pfeiffer say that she had started the fire and that “it’s not the first time that she has set his clothes on fire.’’
Pfeiffer did not have a criminal record, he said. She is due back in court Friday for a probable cause hearing.
Outside the courtroom, Doyle said: “The other resident of the apartment who seems to be one of the main sources of the information that the Commonwealth is using does have a record of an arson conviction. That tells us that we have to look into this case very carefully.’’
Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office, confirmed that Brewer has been convicted of arson, but he could not provide the details of that case yesterday.
On Thursday, police interviewed Pfeiffer at the Chelsea police station. She waived her Miranda rights and admitted setting the fire, police said.
She said, according to a police report, that she saw a blaze grow from the bag she had ignited.
“Melissa then got dressed and left the apartment without notifying any other occupants or contacting emergency services,’’ the report said.
Brian Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com.
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