Virginia Beach man sentenced to 30 years for husband’s murder, striking mother-in-law with car, setting home on fire

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 36-year-old man in Virginia Beach has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his husband, striking his husband’s mother with a car, and setting their own home on fire in 2019.

In a recent court hearing, Roel Ray Delua pled guilty to charges of second-degree murder, wounding in the commission of a felony, malicious wounding, and hit-and-run resulting in personal injury.

Following his guilty plea, Delua was sentenced to 70 years with 40 years suspended, which means he will serve 30 years.

In a press release from Virginia Beach’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Stolle, Delua initially told detectives he “deserved the death penalty” and would only tell detectives what happened if they promised him the death penalty.

His crimes stemmed from a home visit from John Kilgore, Delua’s husband, on January 28, 2019.

Delua and Kilgore had previously separated the month prior and were planning to begin the divorce process. Kilgore had already moved out of their home on Rose Petal Drive in Virginia Beach, but went back to meet a person who came to buy a piece of furniture.

Kilgore’s mother had accompanied him and drove Kilgore to the home. Delua was present inside the home at the time of the purchase.

After the purchaser left, court documents say Delua stabbed Kilgore multiple times in the face, neck, chest, torso, abdomen, back, and hands. He then left Kilgore’s body in an upstairs bedroom, started a fire on the kitchen stove, and left the home.

Kilgore’s mother, waiting outside the home, saw the flames in the house and ran across toward the home.

Court documents say that’s when Delua, who was parked a short distance down the street, “rapidly accelerated and struck her with his car.” Kilgore’s mother sustained significant bruising and a laceration to her head.

When she regained consciousness, officials say she crawled to a nearby home and called for help. The Virginia Beach Fire Department extinguished the fire and found Kilgore dead inside the home.

At the same time, Delua drove to a nearby Walmart store and slashed his own neck and arms in an attempted suicide, the release said.

Police officers later found him in the Walmart bathroom and sent him to the hospital.