Matthew Montebello,Janvi Maquindang Obituary, Death; – A teenager charged with the murder of four individuals while they were asleep made an appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, November 26, to respond to charges of murder and arson.
Miguel Sandoval, aged 19, faces a total of six charges, which include four counts of murder, one felony count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, and one felony count of arson involving an inhabited structure or property, as stated in a press release from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
Sandoval is alleged to have killed Matthew Montebello, 21, along with Montebello’s partner Janvi Maquindang, 21, Maquindang’s sister Christine Aca-ac, 26, and Aca-ac’s fiancé Edwin Garcia, 24, within their residence in Lancaster, California, on November 16.
In court, Sandoval appeared without a shirt, as reported by The Daily Mail. According to the guidelines from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s website, attendees are prohibited from wearing shorts, tank tops, clothing that exposes their midriffs, beachwear, flip-flops, or any attire featuring inappropriate language or symbols.
Aca-ac and Maquindang’s 16-year-old sister escaped unharmed by hiding in a closet and calling 911. The surviving sibling was subsequently taken to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s office, where she recounted hearing gunshots around 1:27 a.m. “She remained in her room out of fear, and that is when deputies were able to locate her and bring her to safety,” stated LASD Lt. Steve Dejong, according to ABC 7.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., Sandoval is accused of entering the home to commit burglary while the occupants were asleep. He allegedly shot them and then set the house ablaze in an attempt to conceal his actions before fleeing the scene. He was apprehended on November 21, as reported by KTLA.
Upon the arrival of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Garcia, Aca-ac, and Maquindang were declared dead at the scene. Montebello was rescued from the burning structure but later died from his injuries at the hospital.
Firefighters were dispatched to the residence at 1:45 a.m. and successfully extinguished the fire by 2:30 a.m.
