A Virginia man has been convicted of murder and arson after fatally stabbing and burning the body of a woman who was staying in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.
In August 2022, 48-year-old Richard Montano killed 40-year-old Silvia “Kelly” Vaca Abacay in the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Fatima Via Rojas, in Falls Church, Virginia, according to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office.
According to The Washington Post, Montano and Via Rojas had been in an abusive relationship for eight years prior to their breakup. Via Rojas testified during Montano’s trial that he had physically assaulted her in the past.
“Every time I ended the relationship, he would always track me down,” Via Rojas told the jury, as reported by the Post. “He would bring me flowers and take me to dinner. He would always convince me to go back to him.”
Via Rojas claimed that even after their breakup in 2022, Montano continued to show up at her apartment despite having his number blocked. She said that the police advised her to send him one final message asking him to leave her alone, according to the Post.
During the trial, prosecutors presented footage from neighbors’ Ring doorbell cameras, which revealed that Montano had secretly entered the apartment multiple times in the months leading up to the incident.
Montano’s defense attorney argued that the prosecution failed to prove the identity of the person in the video or demonstrate that Montano was responsible for Vaca Abacay’s death, according to the Post.
Prosecutors claimed that Montano intended to kill his ex-girlfriend but mistakenly murdered Vaca Abacay instead. They alleged that Montano tried to cover up the crime by setting a fire, NBC Washington reported.
“Due to the extent of the burns, the medical examiner was unable to accurately determine the number of wounds Sylvia had. That’s the level of violence we witnessed in this case,” said prosecutor Steve Descano, as WUSA9 reported.
Shortly after hearing screams and noises from the apartment, neighbors called 911. Investigators discovered Vaca Abacay’s burned body, which had been surrounded by clothing to accelerate the fire, according to the Post.
“He used her own clothing to set her on fire,” one prosecutor stated.
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