Richard Montano is convicted of first-degree murder after he brutally murdered and set fire to ‘Kelly’ Vaca Abacay, who he mistakenly thought was his ex-girlfriend — as a chilling 911 call and photos of the ringing doorbell are released

A man who killed a mother of two before setting her on fire at a Virginia home has been convicted of first-degree murder and arson.

In August 2022, Richard Montano (48) killed Silvia ‘Kelly’ Vaca Abacay (40), because he believed she was his ex-girlfriend.

Montano waited for his ex to return to her Fairfax home, but he ended up killing one of her friends, Abacay, who was also staying in the apartment.

Montano – who is now serving a life sentence – stabbed her before setting her body on fire to hide the murder.

Abacay, who was married with two children, a 14-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son, was visiting from Bolivia and staying at the home of Montano’s ex, Fatima Via Rojas.

The trial included evidence showing Montano entered the apartment that afternoon as he prepared to kill Rojas, his ex-girlfriend, after their eight-year relationship ended.

Surveillance camera footage from a neighbor’s home showed Montano entering her apartment without her knowledge several times during the preceding month.

He was most recently in the house ten days before the murder.

When a neighbor heard screaming and banging from across the hall, they called 911 four times that fateful afternoon.

At the trial, jurors could hear Abacay’s scream echoed in the 911 call.

‘He literally went for the jugular. Listen to the pain and anguish in Silvia’s voice as she screams for her life,’ prosecutors said during the trial, according to NBCWashington.

“The screaming and stomping continued for 15 minutes as Silvia Abacay endured a violent attack that left Apartment 101 in carnage.”

One detective testified how the attack was so violent that bloodstains ran down the walls.

When emergency services arrived, police officers saw smoke coming from the apartment.

Inside, they found Abacay on fire and with multiple stab wounds to her torso.

‘He set a body on fire to cover up a gruesome murder. A gruesome murder of the wrong person. He killed the wrong person and now he has to cover his tracks,’ prosecutors said during the hearing.

First responders extinguished the fire and attempted life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Medical examiners found Abacay had been stabbed at least ten times on her face, head and neck and subsequently died from multiple ‘sharp and blunt force injuries’ suffered before she was set on fire.

Montano fled through a rear window and went back to his home in Arlington, Virginia, where he was arrested later that day.

Prosecutors believe Montano mistakenly thought Abacay was his ex-girlfriend when he killed her, according to Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.

“As a Commonwealth’s Attorney, I’ve seen a lot of crime scenes and photos, but the photos from this case stood out in terms of the victims’ injuries,” Descano said. ‘This case featured some of the most disturbing crime scenes I have ever come across.

‘The body was so burnt that the medical examiner was not even able to accurately count how many wounds Sylvia had. That’s the level of violence we saw in this case,” Descano said.

The jury deliberated for just three hours Thursday before returning a guilty verdict.

“Nothing is going to bring Sylvia back. She has a husband and two teenage children. There’s always going to be pain for them, but my hope is that it will put them on the road to healing,’ Descano said.

“While we cannot bring Silvia back, we can ensure that Montano poses no further threats to the public,” he added.

Abacay’s friends described her as a good friend, mother and person who was always the life of the party. A GoFundMe set up to help her children in the short term.

“Kelly was kind and full of joy, and always there to help others,” her friend Jose Luis Landivar said in the GoFundMe post. ‘She was loved by so many, and will be deeply missed. Her family and friends are saddened by their loss.’

“I was in shock, I couldn’t believe it,” said Yerin Ronero, Abacay’s friend. Fox 5. ‘I just couldn’t believe it. The person who did this is a friend of ours. We have known each other for a long time. It’s just shocking.’

Montano now faces life in prison at his sentencing in January 2024.