Woman pleads guilty, avoids death penalty

? A woman accused of setting a hotel fire that killed 12 people pleaded guilty to all charges Friday in a deal that will allow her to avoid the death penalty.

Valerie Moore, 47, a casino cook, had been charged with 12 counts of murder and one count of arson for lighting a mattress after arguing with another resident at the $150-a-week Mizpah Hotel near the casino district.

Her trial had been set for January 2008. Moore’s public defenders have said she has a history of mental illness.

All 12 victims died of asphyxiation from smoke and soot. The Halloween night blaze injured 31 others. During a preliminary hearing last month, one tenant testified that Moore appeared intoxicated and threatened him earlier that night.