Joseph Guerrero charged with death of Bianca Vite
Joseph Guerrero
RACINE (WITI) -- 36-year-old Joseph Guerrero faces multiple charges in connection with the death of 21-year-old Bianca Vite of Pleasant Prairie in December 2012.
Guerrero was charged on Friday, February 15th with first-degree intentional homicide, arson and mutilating a corpse. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Police and fire officials say they first were brought into this case on Christmas Day 20120 when they responded to a home in Mount Pleasant which was engulfed in flames. They found Vite inside the charred building.
Investigators say as a result of their investigation, the cause of death for Vite was determined to be homicide. The autopsy results revealed Vite died from strangulation and not from the fire. The investigation also identified Guerrero as the suspect in this case.
Bianca Vite (Photo Courtesy Facebook)
Vite and Guerrero were married in July 2012 in Lake County, Illinois. There were no reported incidents of domestic violence prior to this incident.
Guerrero was identified as a suspect early on in the investigation and has been held in custody since December 26th after being arrested by the Kenosha Police Department for a probation violation warrant. Guerrero is currently in custody in the Wisconsin State Prison System. He has been in custody since early on in the investigation.
Guerrero is expected to make his initial appearance on the Racine County charges on Tuesday, February 26th.
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