Woman arrested over Craigslist prank

A woman who invited members of the Craigslist online community to ransack her aunt's house has been arrested.

Nichole Marie Blackwell, 28, has been charged with one count each of second-degree burglary, first-degree malicious mischief and first-degree criminal impersonation.

The woman posted an advertisement on the popular online community asking the public to "come and take anything you want" from the house in Washington.

The house belonging to Blackwell's aunt, Laurie Raye, was promptly gutted of its contents, including the kitchen sink and the front picture window.

"Blackwell said that she had disliked the victim for years and was upset because the victim had evicted her mother from the house in question without letting her mother get her possessions," the affidavit states.

Blackwell said that she used a friend's old email account to post the ad, which was titled 'Everything Free' and included the phrase 'Nothing is off limits'.

Raye told The New Tribune that she and Blackwell's mother had feuded for some time. Blackwell's mother has not been implicated in the crime. 

Raye also said that she wanted Blackwell to "suffer the consequences" and that she "doesn't have any compassion".

The case caught the public imagination in the US and led to a TV home makeover to clean up the damage.