An accountant for a leading defense contractor has been charged with the murder of a teacher found in a burnt-out car.
Matthew Switalski, 37, reportedly lived with his alleged victim Veronica Aguilar, 27, in the home where her charred remains were discovered in the garage on Wednesday.
Neighbors said they were woken up in the middle of the night by “blood-curdling screams” coming from Switalski's home in the Quartz Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Switalski was arrested late Thursday in Kern County and charged with Aguilar's murder.
He worked as a cost and schedule controller for weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman until May and left shortly before being released on $600,000 bail on several rape charges.
The burned remains of Veronica Aguilar (pictured) were found Wednesday in the trunk of a car in a garage of a Los Angeles home
Matthew Swatilski, 37 (right, pictured with Aguilar) was reportedly in a relationship with the teacher he allegedly killed. This spring, he was also arrested and charged with several counts of rape and sexual misconduct against a romantic partner
Firefighters battled the blaze at Switalski's home for more than an hour before they could enter the garage, using a circular saw before discovering Aguilar's charred remains.
Switalski was quickly named as a 'person of interest' in the investigation last week. The house where Aguilar's remains were found was registered in his name.
Firefighters rushed to the scene around 8.20am on Wednesday to find the garage engulfed in flames, with crews taking more than an hour to bring the massive blaze under control.
Once they fought through the fire, crews were seen using a large circular saw to cut their way into the trunk of the vehicle, where Aguilar's remains were discovered.
Her official cause of death has not been determined.
The fire was reportedly sparked by an “explosion” in the garage, with officers initially responding to reports of a home explosion.
A neighbor said he ran outside after hearing the “blood-curdling scream” but couldn't hear the sound again when they went to investigate.
Aguilar's family said they became concerned for her safety after the school where she worked called them when she didn't show up for work.
They said she had been in a relationship for about a year, but they didn't know much about the man she was dating.
Aguilar and Switalski appear to have dated on social media, and her account features several recent smiling selfies with her alleged killer.
Aguilar and Switalski appeared to be in a relationship, and the teacher posed for numerous beaming selfies with her alleged killer
Aguilar was an elementary school teacher in Palmdale, California, and reportedly lived in the home where she was found last week
Switalski worked as a cost and schedule controller for gun manufacturer Northrop Grumman but left in May, shortly before he was released on $600,000 bail on several rape charges.
Court records reported by the LA times revealed that he had also been arrested in the spring of 2023 and charged with several counts of rape and sexual misconduct against a romantic partner, who was not named.
After his arraignment in June, he was reportedly released on $600,000 bail.
Neighbors said Switalski, a Bible college graduate, rented several rooms in the five-bedroom home to other Northrop Grumman employees, none of whom were reportedly home at the time of the fire.
According to his LinkedIn, he had worked as a cost and schedule controller for the defense contractor since 2010, but KABC reported that he left the company in May.
The report also noted that he graduated in 2006 from Calvary Chapel Bible College, where he was a “worship leader.”
The report notes that he ended his association with them in May, while also reportedly terminating his employment with Northrop Grumman – one of the largest defense contractors in the world.
He is currently being held on $10 million bail.
Before his days in the defense industry, Switalski graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in 2006, where he was a “worship leader.”
Tributes have been paid to the primary school teacher who was said to have 'the best spirit' and 'always had a smile'
Agular's brother, Juan, said she worked in Palmdale, California as an elementary school teacher, describing her as having “the best spirit” and “always a smile.”
He described the aftermath of his sister's death as “the darkest of times,” he said in a speech GoFundMe: 'Her story is all over the news of her brutal death. Things will never be the same again. We miss her so much.
“She had the best spirit, she always had a smile. My family is devastated.
'My sister Veronica was so smart. She was an elementary school teacher, a graduate of UCLA, and overall a wonderful person.”