Spurned boyfriend pleads guilty to 2024 quadruple murder, arson in Lancaster
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 3 shot dead before house set on fire in Lancaster
A homicide investigation is underway after three people were found dead in the scene of a house fire in Lancaster.
LANCASTER, Calif. - A man has pleaded guilty to the November 2024 murders of four people inside a Lancaster home before setting the house on fire.
Prosecutors said 21-year-old Miguel Diego Sandoval carried out the targeted attack as revenge after the end of a romantic relationship with one of the victim's relatives.
What we know:
Sandoval pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by lying in wait.
He also admitted to one count each of attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, and arson of an inhabited structure, alongside three counts of animal cruelty and two counts of child abuse.
The backstory:
On November 16, 2024, Sandoval waited outside a residence on North Tabler Avenue until the people inside were asleep, entered the house, and fatally shot Janvi Maquindang, 21, Christine Aca-ac, 25, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21.
Sandoval then set the home on fire, killing the family's three dogs and trapping two uninjured minors, including a 16-year-old who called 911 from a locked bedroom before being rescued by sheriff's deputies.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arrested for allegedly killing 4 at Lancaster home
(L-R) Christine Aca-ac, Edwin Garcia, Janvi Maquindang, and Matthew Montebello / Photos courtesy GoFundMe
What we don't know:
Court records do not disclose the exact sequence of movements Sandoval made inside the home prior to lighting the fire, nor the specific investigative leads that initially linked him to the scene before his arrest by Los Angeles County homicide detectives.
What they're saying:
"The defendant was jilted when he broke up with his boyfriend and then did something unimaginable when he killed four innocent people," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. "This was a calculated act of violence that left a void for the victims’ families that can never be filled. Rest assured this guilty plea will result in a lifetime prison sentence."
What's next:
Sandoval is scheduled to be formally sentenced on November 17.
The Source: This report is based on official statements from Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, court records from the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, investigative updates provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau, reporting from the Los Angeles Times, and public statements issued directly by the victims' families.