Clockwise from top left: Janvi Maquindang, Christine Aca-ac, Matthew Montebello, and Edwin Garcia (GoFundMe).
A California man enraged over a breakup with his boyfriend waited outside a home until the people inside had gone to bed, then entered and opened fire, killing four victims “as they peacefully slept in their beds.”
His former boyfriend was not among them.
Miguel Diego Sandoval, now 21, instead murdered his ex-boyfriend’s siblings, Janvi Maquindang, 21, and Christine Aca-ac, 25, as well as their partners, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21. Prosecutors said he then set the house ablaze, killing three dogs that were inside.
Sandoval pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of first-degree murder, along with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by lying in wait, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
He also admitted guilt to one count each of attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, and arson of an inhabited structure or property; three felony counts of animal cruelty; and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
Sandoval is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17, when a judge is expected to impose a life prison term.
“The defendant was jilted when he broke up with his boyfriend and then did something unimaginable when he killed four innocent people,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “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.”
According to prosecutors, Sandoval around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2024, broke into the victims’ residence in the 44500 block of N. Tabler Avenue in Lancaster, a city in northern Los Angeles County, where all four of the victims were asleep. Once inside, Sandoval fatally shot each of them.
The lone survivor, a 16-year-old girl, locked herself in a bedroom and called 911. Deputies rescued her from the burning house.
Sandoval’s ex, Dillon Maquindang, spoke after Sandoval pleaded guilty.
“You changed my life in ways I never asked for. But you did not take away my ability to live, to love and to find happiness again,” Dillon said, according to a courtroom report from the Los Angeles Times. “I hate that I’m giving you this much of my energy today. … My family deserves to be remembered for who they were, not how they died.”
The teen girl who survived called Sandoval a coward.
“You’re too pathetic to deal with your own emotions that you had to plan something as miserable as this,” she admonished, per the Times.
Separate GoFundMe pages have been set up for Maquindang and Aca-ac, Garcia, and Montebello.
Aca-ac was described as a “loving sister and a funny, vibrant, and deeply caring friend.”
“Christine was a source of strength for everyone around her, especially for our younger siblings,” the GoFundMe description said. “As their legal guardian, she was devoted to raising them in a loving, stable home.”
Janvi Maquindang was a “bright and successful young man with a future full of promise.”
“Janvi was an incredible listener, always there when someone needed to talk things through. His kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him,” the fundraiser stated.
Garcia wanted to be an educator.
“There are no words to describe just how wonderful he was as a brother, son, cousin, uncle, friend, partner, and overall person,” the xGoFundMe said. “He was kind and fun. The kind of person who knew exactly how to make you smile and make your day.”
Montebello turned 21 just days before he was murdered.
“He always was eager to learn, and whenever he set his mind on learning something or picking up a skill, he would relentlessly obsess over it for months at a time until he either mastered it, or at least got familiar with it enough to get bored and move on to his next ‘phase,'” his sister wrote.
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report
The post Boyfriend was ticked at his ex so he blew away former lover’s siblings and their significant others ‘as they peacefully slept in their beds’ first appeared on Law & Crime.
