WASHINGTON — The man who killed a woman and lit her body on fire, after mistaking her for his ex, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Friday, that 48-year-old Richard Montano was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the 2022 killing of Silvia “Kelly” Vaca Abacay.
In August 2022, Montano was waiting at his ex-girlfriend's apartment when her friend, Vaca Abacay, walked through the door instead. Montano killed her and set her body on fire, in an attempt to cover up the murder.
Evidence at trial showed that Montano had gotten into the apartment that afternoon, likely intending to kill his ex-girlfriend, whom Vaca Abacay and her husband were staying with. Montano and his ex had recently ended their eight-year off-and-on relationship in July 2022.
A neighbor's Ring camera captured footage of Montano entering the apartment, without his ex's knowledge multiple times after the pair broke up, including just days before the murder. The same neighbor called 911 four times the afternoon Vaca Abacay was killed to report screaming and banging across the hall.
The medical examiner later determined that Vaca Abacay died from multiple sharp- and blunt-force wounds before her body was set on fire.
“The extreme level of violence and complete disregard for human life demonstrated by Richard Montano is of a level rarely seen in Fairfax County,” said CA Descano. “The loss to Ms. Vaca Abacay's family and loved ones is unimaginable. There is nothing that can undo her needless, senseless death, but as of today, the defendant will not be able to harm anyone else in our community.”
Montano was officially convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and arson of an occupied dwelling in October 2023.
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