A jury in Brampton, Ont., has found Helder Vertentes-Arruda guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his mother-in-law and the attempted murder of his wife following a deadly house fire in December 2020.
He was found not guilty on four additional charges of attempted murder.
According to Peel Regional Police, emergency crews were called to a residence fire on Martindale Crescent, near McLaughlin Road and Williams Parkway, shortly before 4 a.m. on the date of the incident.
After police and firefighters arrived, they found a 71-year-old man, three girls between the ages of four and 11, and their 34-year-old mother, who was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators subsequently found the body of a 61-year-old woman inside the home, identified through court documents as Maria Manuela-Correia.
Manuela-Correia was Vertentes-Arruda’s mother-in-law, Global News learned.
Vertenes-Arruda was charged with first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder in connection with this incident.
The jury began deliberations on Thursday, with the jury delivering the verdict Saturday.
— with files from Catherine McDonald
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