Miguel Sandoval faces life in prison without parole for the 2024 killings
LOS ANGELES — A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty to murdering four people inside a Lancaster home and setting the house on fire following the end of a romantic relationship, prosecutors said.
Miguel Diego Sandoval pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of first-degree murder. He admitted special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by lying in wait.
“This was a calculated act of violence that left a void for the victims’ families that can never be filled,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Sandoval also pleaded guilty to attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, arson of an inhabited structure, three counts of animal cruelty and two counts of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Quick Facts
- Defendant: Miguel Diego Sandoval, 21
- Location: North Tabler Avenue, Lancaster
- Date of killings: Nov. 16, 2024
- Victims killed: Four
- Survivor: A 16-year-old rescued from a locked bedroom
- Plea: Guilty to murder, attempted murder, burglary, arson, animal cruelty and child abuse
- Expected sentence: Life in prison without parole
- Sentencing date: Nov. 17, 2026
- Court: Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Los Angeles
According to prosecutors, Sandoval waited outside a home on North Tabler Avenue until its occupants went to bed Nov. 16, 2024. He entered the house and fatally shot:
- Janvi Maquindang, 21
- Christine Aca-ac, 25
- Edwin Garcia, 24
- Matthew Montebello, 21
Sandoval then set the house on fire and fled, prosecutors said.
A 16-year-old inside the burning home called 911. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies rescued the teenager from a locked bedroom.
Prosecutors said Sandoval committed the crimes to seek revenge after his relationship with Aca-ac and Maquindang’s brother ended.
NEWS-RELATED LINKS:
- Los Angeles Times: Sandoval pleads guilty in post-breakup massacre
- MyNewsLA: Man pleads guilty in Lancaster quadruple-murder case
- ABC7: Sandoval charged with four murders in Lancaster shooting and fire
- ABC7: Family remembers victims of Lancaster killings
- CBS Los Angeles: Man charged with killing four people as they slept
- Los Angeles County: Original murder, burglary and arson charges announced