Not only was this man from the Bay Area convicted of killing a woman he met on a dating app, but he also allegedly sparked one of the worst wildfires in California history just to hide his crime. 33-year-old Victor Serriteno started a wildfire in 2020. It burned a quarter million acres in California, according to PEOPLE.
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The fire, known as the Markley Fire, ended up killing two men. Although Serriteno pleaded no contest, the court found him guilty of three murder counts and many counts of arson. He faces 73 years to life in prison, per CBS News.
Man Caused Deadly California Wildfire After Killing Woman From Dating App
This all began on August 16, 2020, when 32-year-old Priscilla Castro disappeared. She had just gone on a date with Serriteno after meeting him through a dating app. A few days passed, and her family grew worried after being unable to contact her. Her vehicle was discovered in Vacaville just two days later.
On that same day, firefighters were rushing to put out a fire that was spreading throughout the Putah Creek Wildlife Area. The inferno tore through hundreds of buildings, killed numerous livestock, and burned thousands of acres.
Not only did Castro die that day at Serriteno’s hands, but so did Douglas Mai and Leon Bone. They passed away in their homes due to the fire. Finally, on September 2, 2020, human remains were found close to the area where Serriteno started the fire. They eventually identified the remains as belonging to Castro.
Nine days later, the cops arrested Serriteno and charged him with Castro’s murder. They later added the two other murder charges and the arson charges in 2021. The court scheduled Serriteno’s sentencing for August 14.
Castro is survived by her loving family and her nine-year-old daughter. “Priscilla was and is a beautiful, strong, loving woman who didn’t deserve for this tragedy,” said Castro’s sister at the time, via SFGATE.
Although investigators couldn’t determine Castro’s cause of death, they believed she died that night of their date. “Priscilla Castro never left Vacaville alive, but instead was killed in Defendant Serriteno’s home,” said the DA’s office in a statement. “After killing Priscilla Castro, Defendant Serriteno drove her up to the Putah Creek Wildlife Area off of Highway 128 where he dumped her body.”