A Virginia man was found guilty of first-degree murder and arson late last week for the killing of a mother of two last year who he mistakenly thought was his ex-girlfriend.
Authorities say Richard Montano, 48, killed Silvia Vaca Abacay, 40, on Aug. 10, 2022, inside his ex-girlfriend Fatima Via Rojas’ Seven Corners apartment.
Prosecutors told the Court that Montano intended to kill Via Rojas after she had recently broken up with him “at least twice” in late July 2022 following a “volatile, abusive” eight-year relationship, the Washington Post reported.
When he went to the apartment, he thought he was killing his ex, but it was her friend Abacay, the mother of a son and daughter who was staying at the apartment when he attacked her upon answering the door, per NBC4 Washington.
“He quite literally went for the jugular. He went for the face, the head, the neck. He’s going to where it will inflict the most damage,” one lawyer said of Abacay’s injuries, according to the outlet.
The medical examiner found Abacay’s body suffered“at least 10 blunt force injuries and 10 stab wounds.”
“Listen to the pain and anguish in Silvia’s voice as she is screaming for her life in that call,” a prosecutor said of a neighbor’s 911 call played in court to jurors.
When Montano realized he had killed the wrong person, he attempted to cover up the crime by setting her on fire, PEOPLE reported.
“He used her own clothing to burn her,” a prosecutor said, per the Washington Post. “He lit a body on fire to cover up a gruesome murder — a gruesome murder of the wrong person. He murdered the wrong person and now he needs to cover his tracks.”
The Fairfax Circuit Court jurors also found Montano guilty of arson on Thursday, NBC4 Washington reported. He is now facing life in prison as he awaits his sentencing trial on Jan. 24, 2024.
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