Man accused of killing four people and burning house with them inside in Lancaster
Prosecutors charged a 19-year-old man with murder in the deaths of four people he allegedly shot in their Lancaster home, which he then allegedly set on fire to cover his tracks.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office announced Tuesday that Miguel Diego Sandoval was charged with shooting Edwin Garcia, 24; Matthew Montebello, 23; and siblings Janvi Maquindang, 24, and Christine Aca-ac, 29, in the early morning of Nov. 16. He is accused of breaking into the home while the roommates were asleep and shooting them around 1:30 a.m. with a handgun.
Sandoval then set fire to the house to cover up his crimes, according to prosecutors. Although Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies rescued Montebello from the burning home, he later died from his injuries in the hospital. Garcia, Maquindang and Aca-ac all died at the scene; another victim, described as a teenager, who was in the home was not injured.
A fire ripped through a Temple City home Sunday, critically wounding two and killing three, authorities said.
Prosecutors charged Sandoval with four counts of murder, one felony count of first-degree residential burglary with person present and one felony count of arson of an inhabited structure or property. Authorities also say that Sandoval intentionally killed the victims by means of lying in wait and committed multiple murders, according to the charges.
Sandoval is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 27 for arraignment. He’s being held without bail, and if convicted as charged could face a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
A motive for the killings has not been announced by investigators, but the victims’ relatives told news station KTLA that Sandoval was an ex-boyfriend of one of the roommates.
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