A Donna man who set fire to the building where his ex-girlfriend and new partner were sleeping pleaded guilty Friday.
Armando Garza Olivarez, 26, of Donna, entered his guilty plea last week before the 275th state District Court.
Garza Olivarez was indicted on charges of attempted capital murder and arson for his actions on May 12, 2020, when he set fire to an abandoned building in the 100 block of South Main Street in Donna.
Garza Olivarez said he heard voices telling him to light the building on fire, according to the criminal complaint filed at the time. His ex-girlfriend and her new romantic partner were asleep on the second floor, but woke up about 6 a.m. after hearing loud crackling noises and feeling heat coming from underneath the mattress. They noticed smoke coming from the first floor and evacuated the building.
A witness later noticed the flames about 9 a.m. They also noticed a man, later identified as Olivarez, riding around a bicycle. He told the witness, “I just lit the building. F—- my girl and f—- that dude. I took some cardboard and started the fire.”
On Friday, a plea agreement said Olivarez was pleading guilty to both counts.
He will be serving 15 years in prison for both charges, though they will be served concurrently, and Garza Olivarez will be credited with already serving 785 days in jail.
He had been in custody since his arrest and had been issued $500,000 in bonds for both charges.
