DA: Man found guilty of killing niece, nephew in 2022 Fresno fire

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The man who was previously accused of killing his niece and nephew during a house fire in 2022 has been found guilty by a jury, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said.

The DA’s office says a jury found Filimon Hurtado guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of arson after setting a house on fire and killing his niece and nephew, who were inside. He was also convicted of great bodily injury but found it untrue for premeditation attempted murder.

According to police, Hurtado lived in that home with his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. Although he did not have a previous criminal history, he admitted during an interview that he had set the house on fire because he wanted to kill everybody inside.

In 2022, officials say Hurtado was also facing a charge for the attempted murder of the young girl and young boy’s mother, Claudia Ruiz Marin. At the time, Marin was hospitalized in critical condition.

The DA’s office says the second phase of his trial, which is scheduled for later this week, will determine if he was insane during the time of the murders.

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