In a chilling revenge-driven act, a California man, consumed by heartbreak, quietly waited for night to fall. Once his former boyfriend’s family had retired for the evening, he slipped into their home, fatally shooting four individuals before setting the structure ablaze, according to prosecutors.
Miguel Diego Sandoval, aged 21, has confessed to the horrific events that unfolded in November 2024. The bloodshed at a Lancaster residence tragically ended the lives of Janvi Maquindang, 21, Christine Aca-ac, 25, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21.
“The defendant was heartbroken after his breakup and escalated to an unthinkable act by taking the lives of four blameless people,” stated Nathan J. Hochman, the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna attentively listens as Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman delivers remarks during a Los Angeles news conference. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)
“This violence was premeditated and it has created a gaping void that will forever haunt the victims’ families,” Hochman continued, assuring the public. “This guilty admission ensures a lifetime behind bars for Sandoval.”
The deadly rampage was sparked by the end of Sandoval’s relationship with Aca-ac and Maquindang’s brother, and prosecutors say he came looking for revenge.
On Nov. 16, 2024, Sandoval lurked outside the North Tabler Avenue home until the occupants had gone to bed, according to prosecutors. He then went inside and opened fire, killing the four victims.
Sandoval torched the home after the shootings and fled, prosecutors said.
Lancaster, Calif., murder victims Janvi Maquindang, left, Edwin Garcia, Christine Aca-ac and Matthew Montebello, who were killed in a November 2024 shooting and house fire. (GoFundMe)
Amid the carnage, a 16-year-old victim trapped inside managed to call 911 from a locked bedroom. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responding to the burning home rescued the teen.
Three beloved family dogs were also killed, resulting in three felony animal cruelty counts against Sandoval.
Fundraising pages set up by the victims’ loved ones in the aftermath of the 2024 killings paint a picture of four young lives cut short and the families left reeling from the massacre.
Christine and Edwin were engaged and planning a future together, according to a GoFundMe organized by Christine’s sister. The fundraiser remembered Christine as a funny, vibrant and deeply caring older sister who served as the legal guardian and protector of her younger siblings.
Christine Aca-ac and her fiancé, Edwin Garcia, were among four people killed inside a Lancaster, Calif., home in November 2024. (GoFundMe)
The same GoFundMe described Janvi, Christine’s brother, as a bright and successful young man who had graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. His younger siblings looked up to him as a role model and someone they could count on, the fundraiser said.
The fundraiser said the younger siblings escaped the attack physically unharmed, but lost Christine and Janvi, as well as their home in the fire. The fundraiser was later expanded to help them find a safe place to live, continue their education and rebuild their lives.
Matthew had turned 21 only days before the shooting, his older brother Andrew Montebello wrote on a separate GoFundMe. According to the fundraiser, Matthew was shot in the head, rushed from the scene and placed in a coma as his family desperately waited for good news that never came.
Andrew described his younger brother as talented, smart and relentlessly curious, writing that Matthew would throw himself into learning a new skill until he mastered it or moved on to his next interest.
Sandoval is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center Superior Court of California in Los Angeles. (Derek Shook for News Media, File)
In another GoFundMe, Edwin’s mother, Yemi Olivares, remembered the 24-year-old, known to his family as Fernando or Fer, as a gentle soul who dreamed of becoming an educator in academics and music. She wrote that her son hoped to marry, become a father and teach future generations.
“As a mother, I am completely and utterly devastated,” Olivares wrote on the GoFundMe.
Sandoval pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, including special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait.
He also admitted to attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary and arson of an inhabited structure or property, along with two counts of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
The guilty plea ensures Sandoval will never walk free. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17.