Miguel Diego Sandoval, 21, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in a Lancaster courtroom Friday.
The former teen entered his plea at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, admitting to the calculated killings of four people he shot as they slept in their beds on North Tabler Avenue. Sandoval, who was 19 at the time of the November 2024 massacre, now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for the revenge-driven rampage.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman addressed the plea in a statement Friday. “This was a calculated act of violence that left a void for the victims’ families that can never be filled,” he said. “Rest assured this guilty plea will result in a lifetime prison sentence.”
The victims were Janvi Maquindang, 21, Christine Aca-ac, 25, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21. Prosecutors said Sandoval also admitted to felony counts of attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, arson of an inhabited property, three counts of animal cruelty, and two counts of child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
The special circumstance allegations included multiple murders and lying in wait, enhancements that guarantee Sandoval will never walk free. Authorities revealed the massacre stemmed from a bitter romantic fallout between Sandoval and an unnamed male family member of the victims.
Former District Attorney George Gascón, who held office when the killings occurred, had described the crime’s cold brutality in 2024. The victims “were callously shot as they peacefully slept in their beds,” Gascón said at the time.
Matthew Montebello’s mother, Maria, spoke to ABC7 in the aftermath of her son’s death. She said she recognized Sandoval as an ex-boyfriend of one of the younger siblings who lived at the home, though she had never met him personally. It remained unclear whether the ex-boyfriend Maria referenced was among those murdered.
Maria Montebello offered a mother’s tribute to her slain son. “I want him to be remembered as a kind, loving child,” she said. “Very respectful, caring, as a brother, as a gentle soul, very smart, very talented,” She added that her son and his friends spent their time making music together. “Him and his friends were making music … that’s how they hung out. They tried to be creative.”
Montebello had just recently celebrated his 21st birthday and had dinner with his mother the night before he was killed.
In the viral moment that first revealed the horror, a terrified 16-year-old girl trapped in a locked bedroom managed to dial 911 as flames rapidly closed in around her. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies pulled the teen survivor from the burning building. Deputies also rescued Montebello from the blaze and rushed him to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Three dogs were also shot dead before Sandoval torched the house in his attempt to cover his tracks. The fire fully engulfed the home in heavy smoke and flames by the time first responders arrived at 1:27 a.m.
Hochman addressed the motive directly in his Friday statement. “The defendant was jilted when he broke up with his boyfriend and then did something unimaginable when he killed four innocent people,” the DA added.
Sandoval will be sentenced on November 17 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.