A California man killed an associate over a property dispute before setting the home on fire. Now, he will remain behind bars for decades.
Recently, a Vista Superior Court judge handed Jose Trinidad Romero 31 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of 50-year-old Procopio Blanco Cervantes. Romero was found guilty and convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and arson.
On Oct. 4, 2020, Escondido Police and Fire Department responded to a burning Waverly Place home. As firefighters fought to extinguish the blaze, they found Cervantes on the kitchen floor with several stab wounds. The victim was rushed to the hospital, later succumbing to his injuries.
Later, investigators found video footage from a surveillance camera that showed the 35-year-old defendant leaving the residence minutes before the home was engulfed in flames.
Romero was arrested a few days after the incident.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, prosecutors alleged during Romero’s arraignment that the motive for the homicide stemmed from a dispute between the two men over a property left behind in the home.
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