Christmas Fire Murder Suspect Identified as Victim's Husband

A 36-year-old Mount Pleasant man is suspected in the murder of his 21-year-old wife, whose body was founded in a burned out home following a Christmas Day fire, police said Friday.

Joseph M.Guerrero was charged Friday with first-degree intentional homicide, arson and mutilation of a corpse in the death of Bianca Vite, Mount Pleasant police said. A $50,000 warrant was issued even though Guerrero is in custody, but he is expected back in Racine on Feb. 26 for his initial appearance.

In convicted, Guerrero faces life in prison on the murder charge and up to 52-1/2 years in jail and up to $125,000 in fines on the arson and mutilation charges.

"Our investigators worked with the Department of Criminal Investigations to identify the person we feel is responsible for Bianca Vite's death," said Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki.

Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete gave all the credit to MPPD and DCI for identifying Vite's suspected killer.

"Due to the thorough investigation by Mount Pleasant Police, DCI and other agencies, we were able to identify and charge the person responsible for this young woman's death," he said.

Vite's family was notified by MPPD Friday that Guerrero was being charged with the young woman's death.

Vite's body was found in the charred interior of a home in the 5500 block of 16th Street on Christmas Day. Autopsy results revealed that she was strangled and did not die as a result of the fire.

According to the criminal complaint, Vite's body was found in a chair in the living room, and a gas can was on the floor only a few feet away. Investigators labeled the fire as arson after identifying burn patterns on the north and south walls of the living room.

The owners of the home live out of state and told police that no one should have been in the house at the time of the fire, the complaint reads. But, the homeowners also reportedly told officers that a friend of the family had been allowed to stay there, and that person is related to the defendant.

After investigators discovered that Vite married Guerrero in July 2012, they immediately went to question him, but were unable to locate him. A Probation and Parole warrant was issued, and Kenosha police arrested Guerrero on Dec. 26.

Investigators say they interviewed Guerrero at the Kenosha County Jail, and he reportedly admitted he and Vite had been living at the house "because they had no where else to go." During the interview, he confessed to strangling Vite against a wall because she scratched him during an argument on Dec. 22, but he said he didn't realize he had squeezed so hard and his efforts to revive his wife were unsuccessful.

He then told police he placed Vite's body on a chair and covered her with a blanket, the complaint reads. Guerrero also said he tried to kill himself by pouring gasoline around the couch and trying to set it on fire. When flames did catch in the fireplace and began to spread, Guerrero said he realized he had to get out of the house.

Reports indicate that interviews with a cellmate of Guerrero's, to whom he also confessed, line up with the statement's the defendant gave investigators.

In the written statement issued Friday, police said they do not have any records of prior domestic violence incidents.

The Vite family in a recent story from The Journal Times said said waiting for some closure was hard on the family, and Zarzecki told Patch that he understood, but investigators had to gather as much information as possible before any announcements could be made.

"There's a lot of information we needed like the cause of death, analyzing evidence and following every lead until those were exhausted to come to this conclusion," he added.

Court records show Guererro is now held at the Dodge Correctional Institution. Whether or not he is transported back and forth between Dodge and Racine remains to be seen, Chiapete said.

"A lot of where the defendant is held depends on the scheduling of court dates, what his attorney may request and what the court decides," he said.