A Southern California man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after admitting that he raped and killed a 13-year-old girl he met online, then set her body on fire.
Armando Cruz, of Inglewood, accepted an agreement to plead guilty to murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges in exchange for a life sentence, KBAK-TV reported Tuesday.
Cruz met Patricia Alatorre of Bakersfield on social media in 2020 and the pair exchanged photos and later met up, Kern County prosecutors said.
The second time they met, the girl didn’t want to go with him but he drove her away from their meeting place and raped her then killed her before dousing her body in lighter fluid and setting her on fire, prosecutors said.
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Patricia’s mother, Clara Alvarez, wrote in a letter that Alvarez was a “monster" who deserves to spend the rest of his days behind bars, KGET-TV reported.
“This child murderer is a cruel and ugly sick-minded person who should never see the light of day ever again,” she wrote.
