Mother Charged With Burning 2 Children
A mother was charged with incinerating her two children Tuesday in the back seat of her car as it was parked outside her in-laws’ house.
Maria Montalvo, 29, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated arson for the deaths of her 28-month-old son, Rafael Aponte, and 18-month-old daughter, Zonaida Aponte.
Prosecutors said Montalvo had recently fought with her husband and may have been suicidal.
Montalvo bought a container of gasoline as she drove the children from their home to her in-laws’ house, said Robert Honecker, a Monmouth County prosecutor. “The car exploded in flames” after she got out, he said.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.