A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to murdering four people and killing three dogs during a November 2024 rampage at his former partner's Lancaster home, admitting he broke in wearing a mask, opened fire on victims as they slept, and then set the house ablaze. Miguel Diego Sandoval now faces four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, with formal sentencing scheduled for November 17.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Sandoval intended to target his former romantic partner, but that person was not home during the attack. Instead, prosecutors say Sandoval broke into the Lancaster home and killed Christine Aca-ac, 29, and her sister Janvi Maquindang, 24, along with Aca-ac's fiancé Edwin Garcia, 24, and Maquindang's partner Matthew Montebello, 23. The Times reports that Sandoval shot both women while they were in bed, and that Garcia and Aca-ac pleaded for their lives before they were killed.
Maquindang did not die immediately at the scene — she escaped the fire but later died of her injuries at an area hospital, according to the Times. Three family dogs burned to death in the blaze Sandoval is accused of setting inside the home.
A 16-Year-Old's 911 Call Saved Her Life
While the attack unfolded, a 16-year-old girl inside the home hid in her bedroom and called 911 at 1:27 a.m., according to CBS News. That call allowed Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies to locate and pull her from the home uninjured. The crime unfolded at a single-story home in the 44500 block of North Tabler Avenue, near East Avenue J and Challenger Way, where firefighters had the fire out by 2:20 a.m., per MyNewsLA.
Deputies arrived to find the home engulfed in heavy smoke and flames. Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while the fourth, Maquindang, died later at the hospital.
Arrest, Charges, and a Recorded Confession
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau detectives arrested Sandoval five days after the killings, on November 21, 2024. Then-District Attorney George Gascón announced charges on November 26, 2024, under case 24AVCF01785, saying the victims were callously shot as they peacefully slept in their beds, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said Sandoval admitted to the killing spree in a recorded jailhouse conversation, per the Times. Under his plea agreement this week, Sandoval pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, three felony counts of animal cruelty, first-degree residential burglary with a person present, arson of an inhabited structure, attempted murder, felony and misdemeanor child abuse, and misdemeanor evidence destruction, according to the same MyNewsLA account. He also formally admitted special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait, along with handgun-use allegations — enhancements that under California law can trigger life without parole or the death penalty. The District Attorney's Office did not seek capital punishment in this case.
Victims' Loved Ones Confront Sandoval in Court
At the hearing, Sandoval's former romantic partner, Dillon Maquindang — the person prosecutors say he originally intended to target — delivered a victim impact statement accusing Sandoval of cheating, manipulation, and taking his personal failures out on the family, the Times reports. Maquindang told the court that Sandoval changed their life but did not take away their ability to live, love and find happiness again.
Another survivor, identified only as Tahnya, told the court she hid behind a locked door in the home during the rampage. She called Sandoval a coward.
Community Mourned Close-Knit Filipino American Family
In the days after the killings, relatives organized a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses for Aca-ac and Maquindang, describing the sisters as deeply caring individuals with bright futures ahead, according to Inquirer.net USA. The sisters belonged to a close-knit Filipino American family in Lancaster.
The case marks the second high-profile Lancaster mass-murder prosecution Hoodline has tracked through sentencing in recent years, underscoring the Antelope Valley's ongoing struggle with violent crime. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo is set to hand down Sandoval's formal sentence on November 17, when he is expected to receive four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
