Homeless Man Convicted Of Arson, Accused Of Setting Murrieta Fires

MURRIETA, CA — A transient who lit several fires in a field near homes in Murrieta pleaded guilty Friday to felony and misdemeanor charges and was immediately sentenced to two years in state prison.

Francisco Villanueva, 35, admitted one count each of arson and resisting arrest under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped five related charges against Villanueva.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Friday, Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to Murrieta police Lt. Don Weller, on the afternoon of March 15 Villanueva walked through an open field behind homes in the area of Clearview Street and Whitewood Road, lighting multiple fires.

Property owners spotted the smoke and flames and called 911.

"Murrieta Fire & Rescue quickly extinguished the fires, and police officers established a perimeter around the large parcel of land where the subject was last seen running," Weller said.

The agency's unmanned aerial vehicle operator was summoned and launched a drone to scour the location with a bird's-eye view.

"The drone operator observed a subject crawling in the heavy brush in what appeared to be an attempt to conceal himself," the lieutenant said.

He said that patrol officers were directed to the location, and Villanueva was taken into custody without incident.

"Murrieta Fire & Rescue investigators confirmed that multiple fires were intentionally set," agency spokesman Mike Macalinao said, without disclosing the specific method in which the blazes were ignited.

The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.