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A man found responsible for torching the former Compadres Mexican Bar & Grill and a car nearly four months ago in Palo Alto was sentenced Tuesday, March 5, to two years in state prison, according to a Santa Clara County prosecutor.

Osvaldo Madrigal, 37, of Menlo Park, had previously pleaded guilty to two felony arson charges connected to the Nov. 10 blazes along El Camino Real in the city’s Ventura neighborhood. He also admitted to violating his probation for a separate assault with a deadly weapon, which also occurred within the county.

Madrigal “acted normally” during his sentencing hearing before Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Vincent Chiarello at the Palo Alto Courthouse, according to Deputy District Attorney Paola Pretorius. He had faced a maximum state prison sentence of six years and eight months.

The first fire was set to a white 2016 Jeep Wrangler on Curtner Avenue, about a block away from El Camino Real. Nearby business employees found the blaze around 4:20 p.m. and extinguished it before authorities arrived, police said.

While responding to the car fire, a police officer saw smoke coming from the former Compadres building on El Camino Real around 5 p.m., according to police. When firefighters arrived at the second blaze, they found Madrigal inside the building, where the ceiling was on fire and the roof was unstable. He was rescued from the building.

Mountain View firefighters assisted Palo Alto crews in putting out the building fire, which was contained roughly three hours later. The former restaurant has been vacant since 2008 when the business closed after 23 years.

Madrigal was transported to Stanford Hospital for minor smoke-related injuries, police said. Investigators believe he was illegally squatting in the restaurant and identified him as the arsonist.

“I am glad that no one was injured as a result of this conduct and pleased that Mr. Madrigal has taken responsibility,” Pretorius said in an email. “I applaud the Palo Alto Police Department for their attention to detail and outstanding investigative work in this case. We are appreciative to the victims for their cooperation and patience, and hope this brings them a sense of closure.”

As of Thursday morning (March 7), Madrigal remains in custody at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas.

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2 Comments

  2. > Should have given this multi felon the max!

    Build: You are in favor of maximum sentences for criminals, within the proposed guidelines by the feds? Or just the max? Like marijuana dealers, etc..?

    Does this include the traitor Paul Manafort, who only got 4 years so far for betraying America, and his cohorts?

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