DA: Vacaville man set deadly fire to cover up woman s killing
Homicide suspect accused of starting wildfire in attempted cover-up of killing
A 29-year-old Vacaville man has been charged with killing a woman and setting a fire to cover up the crime. KTVU s Henry Lee reports on the wildfire that was sparked, which killed two other people, and the recent arrest.
VACAVILLE, Calif. - Harrowing Vacaville police body-camera video from August showed officers frantically evacuating residents from the fast-moving Markley Fire.
Investigators say Victor Serriteno started the fire to cover up his killing of Priscilla Castro, a woman he had met onlin for a date.
First Posted: Apr 29, 2021 08:43 PM EDT
Photo : David McNew/Getty Images
A California wildfire in 2020 that ravaged Northern California was intentionally set, according to officials.
Officials believed that the California wildfire was started to cover up a murder. The fire additionally killed two people.
Solano County sheriff s office and Vacaville police said that the burned body of Priscilla Castro was found near a dam in Solano County, according to an NBC News report.
Meanwhile, two more people were found dead from the same fire in their homes. Douglas Mai, 82, and Leon James Bone, 64 were identified to be the victims of the fire.
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The suspect is accused of starting the Markley Fire in Vacaville last August that merged with fires in five other counties, including Napa, to become the LNU Lightning Complex.Â
Josef Federman
Associated Press
VACAVILLE, Calif. A man charged with killing a woman in Northern California was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of setting a fire to cover up the crime that spread and killed two other people, authorities said.
Victor Serriteno, 29, of Vacaville was booked after an eight-month-long criminal investigation, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office said.
County District Attorney Krishna Abrams said he will be charged with additional counts of murder and arson and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday.
Serriteno was already jailed without bail after being arrested last year for the death of 32-year-old Priscilla Castro. Her burned body was found on Sept. 2 near Lake Berryessa.