Uncle Free as Victim of Gasoline Fire Says He Alone Is to Blame

A Santa Ana man, originally thought to have been set on fire by his uncle during a family argument, has indicated to investigators that he doused himself with gasoline before bursting into flames.

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James G. Enright said Monday that the new information contradicts earlier reports that Marcial Vivar Castro poured gasoline on his nephew, Armando Soriano, 20, and set him afire on Thanksgiving Day after a rent dispute.

Soriano, a landscape laborer who moved to the United States 11 months ago from Mexico, suffered third-degree burns from his knees to his neck and is not expected to live. He remained in critical condition Monday night at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Hand Signals in Hospital

Enright said Soriano was making his statement via hand signals because his injuries prevent him from speaking.

Castro, 37, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but was released from Orange County Jail on Monday night for lack of evidence.

A Santa Ana police spokeswoman said Monday that Castro will not be prosecuted, but Enright said the district attorney’s office has been unable to decide whether to file charges against Castro because of “conflicting stories.”

Police quoted relatives as saying Castro tried to kill Soriano after they began arguing during a long night of drinking. One relative told police that Castro doused his nephew with gasoline as he lay on a couch.

When Soriano went to the kitchen to clean himself up, Castro allegedly lit a match near him, the relative said.

However, Soriano indicated to investigators during questioning in his hospital room that Castro was not to blame for the incident, Enright said.

Soriano signed that he had “covered himself with gasoline and somehow set himself on fire,” Enright said.

‘Conflict in Testimony’

Enright declined, however, to disclose what else Soriano said about the incident or about his uncle’s role.

“We have a conflict in testimony,” he said, “so we are continuing our investigation. This case is still open.”

But Santa Ana police issued a press release Monday saying the district attorney’s office had decided not to file charges against Castro because of a lack of evidence. The decision not to prosecute Castro was made jointly by the police and district attorney investigators, Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.