Bay Area man accused of setting deadly wildfire to cover up missing woman’s homicide enters no-contest plea
A Vacaville man charged with three 2020 murders — two of them related to a series of wildland fires that swept over parts of Solano County in August that year — entered a no-contest plea in Solano County Superior Court Friday in exchange for a stipulated prison sentence of 73 years to life.
Victor Serriteno, 33, will return to court Aug. 14 for judgment and sentencing. He remains in Solano County Jail custody without bail.
A previously convicted felon, Serriteno pleaded no contest and was found guilty of killing Priscilla Castro, 32, of Vallejo, in the afternoon or early evening of Aug. 16, 2020, then burning her body on Aug. 18, which started the Markley Fire near Lake Berryessa. It merged into the Hennessey Fire and later became part of the LNU Lightning Complex, leading to the deaths of two men – Leon Bone and Douglas Mai — in rural Vacaville.
Under his plea agreement, he faces 15 years to life for second degree murder for the death of Castro; plus 25 years to life each for first degree murder of Bone and Mai, plus eight years for arson for a total of 73 years to life, according to a release from District Attorney Krishna Abrams who prosecuted the case.
“This was one of the most catastrophic fires in the history of Solano County,” Abrams said in the release. “Lives of those impacted have been forever changed. Although we cannot undo these vicious, brutal, and senseless acts by defendant Serriteno, hopefully this plea today will provide certainty that the defendant stands convicted, that he is held accountable, and that there is some sense of justice and closure for all of those affected. Most importantly, he will not be able to harm our community again.”
Serriteno was arrested in September of 2020 following a complex investigation, Abrams noted.
On Aug. 16 of 2020, Castro, 32, of Vallejo was reported missing by family. She was last seen alive arriving in Vacaville at approximately 5:49 pm driving her car. On Aug. 18, police located her car on Bush Street in Vacaville and during their investigation, police were able to retrieve data from Castro’s phone records showing her last contact was made to a phone number belonging to Serriteno.
“Officers then spoke to Serriteno hoping he would provide helpful information in locating Ms. Castro. He was neither helpful nor truthful,” the press release states.
That same day, Aug. 18, Cal Fire responded to a fire at the trailhead of the Putah Creek Wildlife Area off of highway 128 in Solano County. The fire spread quickly travelling in a southern direction toward Vacaville. This fire destroyed thousands of acres in northern Solano County, including hundreds of structures, numerous homes, and livestock, and both Mai and Bone, who died in their homes as a result of the fire, Abrams said.
On Sept. 2, 2020, Vacaville police officers located human remains near the Putah Creek Wildlife Area off of Highway 128. Although the remains were badly burned and unrecognizable, there was an angel pendant located in the debris that belonged to Priscilla Castro, Abrams said.
Following further investigation and identification of Castro’s remains, Serriteno was arrested.
On April 28, 2021, after a comprehensive fire investigation by Cal Fire and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, defendant Serriteno was booked on additional charges stemming from the Markley Fire, specifically arson, arson during a state of emergency, murder of Leon Bone, and murder of Douglas Mai.
On July 31, after numerous delays, the case proceeded to preliminary hearing. In that hearing, Abrams pointed out phone data information that showed Serriteno at the area of the fire. In her release she noted that the evidence presented in the hearing showed Castro never left Vacaville alive, but instead was killed in Serriteno’s home.
“After killing Priscilla Castro, defendant Serriteno drove her up to the Putah Creek Wildlife Area off of Highway 128 where he dumped her body,” Abrams said. “Additional circumstantial evidence placed Serriteno in the area of Priscilla’s body at the time the Markley Fire was started.”