A California man has been convicted of three counts of murder and arson after killing a mother he met on a dating app and starting a wildfire that killed two more people as he attempted to burn the first woman’s body.
Victor Serriteno, 33, pleaded no contest Friday in exchange for a 73-year-to-life prison sentence, according to The Vacaville Reporter, citing a Solano County District Attorney’s Office press release.
The Vacaville man committed the murders in August 2020, with prosecutors claiming he killed Vallejo resident Priscilla Castro, 32, on or around August 16, 2020, followed by 82-year-old Douglas Mai and 64-year-old Leon Bone in the ensuing fire.
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Serriteno attempted to burn Castro’s body on August 18, 2020, according to a Vacaville Police Department press release. Cal Fire responded to a fire at the Putah Creek Wildlife Area trailhead near Highway 128 in Solano County, which is located between San Francisco and Sacramento, on the same day.
The fire destroyed hundreds of structures, many of which were homes, and ravaged thousands of acres in northern Solano County, according to the Reporter.
“After killing Priscilla Castro, defendant Serriteno drove her up to the Putah Creek Wildlife Area off Highway 128 where he dumped her body,” District Attorney Krishna Abrams said in a press release. “Additional circumstantial evidence placed Serriteno in the area of Priscilla’s body at the time the Markley Fire was started.”
According to Abrams, Serriteno caused “one of the most catastrophic fires in the history of Solano County.” Castro’s remains were “badly burned and unrecognizable,” but an angel pendant she wore was discovered in the debris, linking Serriteno to the incident, according to SFGate, citing Vacaville Police.
Mai and Bone died in Vacaville after the Markley Fire merged with the Hennessey Fire, which ripped through parts of the LNU Lightning Complex and north Solano County, where they lived, according to officials.
“Lives of those impacted have been forever changed,” according to Abrams. “Although we cannot undo defendant Serriteno’s vicious, brutal, and senseless acts, we hope that this plea today will provide certainty that the defendant has been convicted, that he is held accountable, and that there is some sense of justice and closure for all those affected. Most importantly, he will be unable to harm our community again.
Serriteno faces 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder, as well as an additional 25 years for the counts relating to Bone and Mai’s deaths. He also received eight years for the arson charges, bringing his total sentence to 73 years to life in prison.
