FAIRFAX, Va. — A Virginia man has been found guilty of stabbing and setting a woman on fire who he mistakenly believed was his ex-girlfriend who had just ended their eight-year relationship.
(Author's Note: Some of the following details may be considered disturbing. Read with caution.)
A jury convicted Richard Montano, 48, of first-degree murder Thursday for the 2022 killing of Silvia “Kelly” Vaca Abacay. Additionally, he was found guilty of arson of an occupied dwelling.
Abacay was staying at her friend's apartment when she was killed. That friend was Montano's ex-girlfriend who had just ended their eight-year relationship a few weeks earlier.
On August 10, 2022, Montano broke into the apartment, reportedly intending to kill his ex, a woman named Fatimah. A neighbor's Ring camera showed Montano had previously entered the apartment without his ex's knowledge multiple times a month earlier, with the last time being just 10 days before Abacay was brutally murdered.
"The victim in this case, Silvia, she happened to be staying at Fatimah's house and evidence showed that the defendant broke into that apartment after the relationship had ended multiple times and laid in wait," said Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano.
A neighbor called 911 four times that afternoon after hearing screaming and banging coming from across the hall.
Prosecutors say Montano mistook Abacay for his ex-girlfriend when he stabbed her to death before lighting her body on fire.
"The body was so burned that the medical examiner wasn't even able to maybe accurately count how many wounds Sylvia had. That's the level of violence we saw in this case," said Descano.
The trial began on Monday. Each day jurors listened as prosecutors detailed the horrific events that unfolded. They played the 911 calls made by neighbors who heard the screaming and banging earlier in the afternoon.
During the trial, evidence shown to the jury also included pictures of blood spatter and stains around the apartment.
FCPD Detective Susan Anderton said at trial that there were blood stains on the walls by the front door that were "so heavy that the blood was running down.”
"I've looked at a lot of crime scenes in my time and even as someone who's been to a lot of crime scenes and seen them, the pictures from this crime scene are really gonna stick with me and I think anyone who's seen those pictures, it's gonna stay with them as well," said Descano.
The jury deliberated on Thursday for just three hours, before coming back with a guilty verdict.
"Nothing is gonna bring Sylvia back. She has a husband and two teenage kids. There's always going to be pain there for them, but my hope is that this puts them on the path to healing somewhat," said Descano.
Montano will be sentenced on January 19, 2024. He faces up to life in prison for both charges.
Friends of Silvia “Kelly” Abacay wiped away their tears Tuesday as prosecutors showed pictures of the bloody crime scene in a gruesome murder case in Falls Church.