GEORGETOWN, Colo. (AP) — A jury has convicted a 34-year-old man of dousing his girlfriend with gasoline and lighting her on fire at a campsite in Colorado’s central mountains.
John Vasquez, of Arvada, was found guilty Thursday of several charges in the death of Christina Archuleta-Blasier, the most serious of which was first-degree murder.
Prosecutors say Vazquez was arguing with Archuleta-Blasier when he attacked her at a campsite south of Idaho Springs on June 17, 2016. She suffered third- and fourth-degree burns over 60 percent of her body and died about a month later.
Archuleta-Blasier’s two young sons witnessed the attack and tried to rescue her. Her 6-year-old boy was burned trying to put the fire out.
Vasquez, who claimed the fire was an accident, has a history of domestic violence. He faces life in prison when he is sentenced June 19.