Georgina Vilella, a 60-year-old stepmother from Walsall, has died in prison while serving a sentence for one of the most harrowing arson murders in the Black Country. In March 2011, Vilella set fire to her family home on Pleck Road by pouring petrol over her husband, Carlos Vilella, who was asleep on the first floor. The devastating blaze consumed the house, trapping four of their six daughters inside.
Carlos, a father of six, lost his life in the fire. One of their daughters, Josefina, then just 14, suffered burns over 60% of her body. The severity of her injuries led to the amputation of both legs and part of her left arm. Josefina spent 18 months in hospital recovering, adapting to life with prosthetic legs.
Georgina Vilella, originally from Guinea and HIV-positive, was found guilty of murder and arson with intent to endanger life at Wolverhampton Crown Court in 2012. She was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison. Throughout the trial, evidence revealed that she had purchased petrol days before committing the crime. Vilella was described as having a volatile temper and struggling with depression over her inability to have biological children.
READ MORE: £20m Plans Submitted for Flood-Resistant Causeway Green Primary School on Oldbury’s Former Golf Course
After igniting the fire, Vilella fled the scene and watched as firefighters and neighbors desperately tried to save her husband and stepchildren. Among the children, injuries varied from a broken pelvis sustained by one stepdaughter who jumped from a first-floor window, to another suffering from smoke inhalation.
Despite the trauma, Josefina publicly expressed forgiveness for Vilella, saying, “She has claimed the life of a man who was dearest to me but I forgive her. I feel sorry for her. She has lost everything including her freedom and her family, but I have the love of my sisters and that is all that matters.”
On May 10, 2024, Georgina Vilella passed away at HMP Send, a women’s prison in Surrey, just one day before her 61st birthday. The cause of death has not been disclosed as an investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is ongoing. A prison service spokesperson confirmed the standard procedures for deaths in custody are being followed, with further statements pending the investigation’s findings.
Detective Sergeant Rob Bastin from West Midlands Police described the case as “horrific” and “cold and calculating,” underscoring the premeditated nature of the crime which shattered a family and left lasting scars on the surviving children.