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Arvada man given life sentence for setting woman on fire

Posted at 2:43 PM, Jun 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-19 16:43:20-04

Colorado prosecutors say a 34-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of dousing his girlfriend with gasoline and lighting her on fire at a campsite.
  
John Vasquez, of Arvada, was found guilty in April of first-degree murder and other charges in the death of Christina Archuleta-Blasier.
  
Prosecutors say the couple was arguing at the campsite south of Idaho Springs in June 2016 when Vasquez attacked Archuleta-Blasier. She suffered third- and fourth-degree burns over 60 percent of her body and died 33 days later at a hospital.
  
According to prosecutors, Archuleta-Blasier’s two young sons witnessed the attack. One boy received second-degree burns while trying to help his mother.
  
Vasquez, who claimed the fire was an accident, has a history of domestic violence.

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