BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man was sentenced Tuesday to more than three decades in prison after he intentionally setting his mother’s house on fire in 2024, according to the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Christine Del Prado, who presides over Bexar County’s 227th Criminal District Court, sentenced Victor Diaz III to 35 years in prison for arson of a habitation, the DA’s office said in a news release.
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According to the release, Diaz’s mother asked him to leave her home in January 2024 due to his ongoing drug use and lack of employment.
Court records show Diaz, 44, returned to the home in the early morning hours of Jan. 26, 2024. He banged on his mother’s window and demanded to be let inside while threatening to burn her house down, hurt others and take his own life.
After Diaz left the residence, the district attorney’s office said Diaz’s mother fled “out of fear” for her safety and flagged down a nearby officer to report the incident.
When San Antonio police officers responded to the home, they found the residence on fire and Diaz “crouched” in the home’s laundry room.
During Diaz’s trial, fire and arson investigators testified that the flames originated in the laundry room and was intentionally started “when an open flame ignited combustible materials,” the release said.
Investigators also discovered that Diaz had a lighter and a match in his possession when SAPD took him into custody.
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You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.
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