A Virginia man is facing life in prison for brutally murdering a mom of two he mistook for his ex-girlfriend last year.
Richard Montano, 48, was convicted of first-degree murder and arson Thursday in connection with the death of Silvia “Kelly” Vaca Abacay.
She was found fatally beaten, stabbed, and then set on fire on Aug. 10, 2022, FOX 5 DC reported.
At the time of the heinous attack, Abacay, 40, was staying at the Fall Church apartment of her friend Fatima Via Rojas, who had ended an eight-year relationship with Montano a month earlier, the outlet explained.
At Montano’s Fairfax County trial, jurors learned the killer intended to target Via Rojas, and had mistaken Abacay for her when he unleashed his rage, NBC Washington said.
“He quite literally went for the jugular. He went for the face, the head, the neck. He’s going to where it will inflict the most damage,” a prosecutor said of the damage to Abacay’s body, which had at least 10 blunt force injuries and 10 stab wounds.
Police were only alerted to the scene when a neighbor heard screams and called 911. That call was also played in the courtroom.
“Listen to the pain and anguish in Silvia’s voice as she is screaming for her life in that call,” the prosecutor asked the jury.
Montano initially fled out a back window but was arrested later that day. A bent knife was found in the back of his truck, NBC said.
He pleaded not guilty, but his defense attorneys ultimately failed to seed enough reasonable doubt.
Via Rojas said she and Montano’s relationship was volatile, but she never expected him to resort to such extreme violence.
“I feel guilty. Part of me feels guilty because he [came] for me, not for her, and she have to pay for something that’s supposed to happen to me,” she told NBC of her friend’s death.
When asked what prison sentence he hopes for his wife’s killer, Abacay’s widower, Joselo Landivar, said “jail forever,” the outlet added.
The grieving spouse was supported at the conviction Thursday by over a dozen friends and relatives.
Montano now faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced in Jan next year, according to Fox News Digital.
In addition to her husband, Abacay is survived by two children who live in Bolivia, per NBC.