Man Killed His Date, Started a Wildfire to Cover It

A California man who killed his date, then tried to conceal her body by setting a fire that would eventually kill another two people, now faces more than 70 years in state prison. Victor Serriteno, 33, of Vacaville pleaded no contest to three counts of murder and two courts of arson on Friday in exchange for a stipulated prison sentence of 73 years to life, per the San Jose Mercury News. Priscilla Castro, a 32-year-old mother from Vallejo, had traveled to Vacaville for a date with Serriteno, whom she'd met on a dating app, on Aug. 16, 2020. She was never seen alive again. Two weeks later, her charred remains were found in Stebbins-Cold Canyon near Putah Creek, the starting point of the so-called Markley Fire.

It was impossible to determine a cause of death for Castro, whose remains were "unrecognizable" apart from an angel pendant she'd worn, per SFGate. But authorities believe she was killed in Serriteno's home on Aug. 16. Police said Serriteno—the last person Castro contacted—set the fire at the trailhead of the Putah Creek Wildlife Area, where he'd dumped Castro's body, to cover up the initial murder. The flames spread south toward Vacaville, killing 82-year old Douglas Mai and 64-year old Leon "James" Bone in their separate homes, before merging with the Hennessey Fire and forming part of the huge LNU Lightning Complex, a large complex of wildfires burning at the same time.

Serriteno pleaded no contest in Solano County Superior Court to three counts of murder, arson to an inhabited dwelling, and arson during a state of emergency, per CBS News. A previously convicted felon, he remains in custody ahead of his Aug. 14 sentencing, where he'll face 15 years to life for the second-degree murder of Castro; 25 years to life for each of the two first-degree murder charges; and eight years for arson, per the Mercury News. "Hopefully ... there is some sense of justice and closure for all of those affected," Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams said in a statement. "Most importantly, he will not be able to harm our community again." (More murder stories.)