Man fatally shot 4 as they ‘peacefully slept,’ then set home ablaze, CA officials say
A 19-year-old fatally shot four people as they slept, then set the home ablaze, California prosecutors say.
Miguel Diego Sandoval was charged with multiple counts, including murder, first-degree residential burglary with person present and arson of an inhabited structure or property, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a Nov. 26 news release.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of these four lives, including a brother and sister, who were callously shot as they peacefully slept in their beds,” District Attorney George Gascón said in the release.
Sandoval is accused of breaking into a Lancaster home at about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16 as Edwin Garcia, 24, Matthew Montebello, 23, Christine Aca-ac, 29, and Janvi Maquindang, 24, were sleeping, prosecutors said.
Sandoval is accused of shooting the four inside the home, according to prosecutors.
Then, Sandoval “set fire to the house to cover up the crimes,” prosecutors said.
A 16-year-old girl was also inside the home, Lt. Steve Dejong with the Los Angles County Sheriff’s Department told KABC.
She hid in her bedroom and called 911, Dejong told the outlet.
Deputies and firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames, authorities said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Garcia, Aca-ac and Maquindang were pronounced dead on scene, prosecutors said. Rescuers rushed Montebello from the burning home and took him to a hospital, where he later died.
The 16-year-old girl was rescued by deputies and not hurt, according to KABC and prosecutors.
“This shooting has devastated the Lancaster community, and our hearts go out to the victims’ families, who are suffering from this sudden incomprehensible loss,” Gascón said.
Prosecutors also allege that Sandoval “intentionally killed the victims by means of lying in wait, committed multiple murders, and used a handgun.”
Sandoval, who is being held without bail, is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Jan. 27, prosecutors said.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he’s convicted, prosecutors said.
Lancaster is about a 70-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Man fatally shot 4 as they ‘peacefully slept,’ then set home ablaze, CA officials say."
