Man convicted of killing mother of two he mistakenly thought was his ex
A Virginia man was convicted this week of beating, stabbing and setting fire to a mother of two he mistakenly thought was his ex-girlfriend in whose apartment she had been temporarily staying.
lawandcrime.com
A Virginia man has been convicted of beating, stabbing and setting fire to a mother of two he mistakenly thought was his ex-girlfriend in whose apartment she had been temporarily staying.
Richard Montano was found guilty on Thursday of first-degree murder and arson in the death of Silvia Vaca Abacay.
Montano’s ex, Fatima Via, was in court to hear the verdict.
“I feel guilty,” Via said, Washington NBC affiliate WRC reported. “Part of me feels guilty because he came for me, not for her, and she has to pay for something that’s supposed to happen to me.”
The murder happened on Aug. 10, 2022. Police responded to an apartment in the 2900 block of Willston Place in Falls Church on a report of a domestic dispute that afternoon. A neighbor called police after hearing a man and woman arguing in an apartment, prosecutors said in a news release.
When officers arrived, they saw smoke coming from the unit. They found Abacay on fire and suffering from stab wounds to the upper body. The fire was put out, and first responders tried to save her life, but she was declared dead.
