Burglars hit home of Bay Area death metal guitarist days after fatal police shooting

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

Two men have been charged with breaking into death metal guitarist Brian Montana's home to steal his credit cards and car just days after he was shot and killed by police following a violent neighborhood standoff, authorities said.
Richard Vaka, of Newark, and Norman Desumala, of Fremont, were arrested June 5 after a South San Francisco Police Department investigation tied them to a burglary on the 300 block of Arroyo Drive that occurred May 2 — four days after Montana's fatal confrontation with police.
The break-in took place shortly after 6 a.m., while the residence was unoccupied, according to police.
Montana's friend Rob Estrada noted on Facebook that the guitarist's family still lived in the home, though they had stayed elsewhere immediately following the shooting.
'The suspects forced entry into a home that had been temporarily vacated following a tragic neighborhood incident, before stealing personal property and a vehicle,' the department wrote in a Facebook post on June 9.
Detectives identified the suspects through a witness description and evidence that one of the stolen credit cards had been used at a Bay Area casino later that day. Vaka and Desumala were later taken into custody during an unrelated police encounter in Fremont, officials said.
Vaka faces charges of first-degree burglary, vehicle theft and grand theft. Desumala has been charged with theft and fraud-related offenses. Both men were booked into Alameda County Jail and remain in custody.
Montana, 60, was killed April 28 during an extended exchange of gunfire with police that began after a dispute with a neighbor over fallen tree debris. According to authorities, he fired multiple weapons — including a handgun, shotgun and rifle — at officers and homes before he was fatally shot.
An early member of Possessed, Montana played on the band's influential 1984 'Death Metal' demo, widely credited with coining the name of the genre. Though he left before the release of the debut album, 'Seven Churches,' his role in the band's formation helped define its aggressive sound.
The band paid tribute to Montana in an Instagram post shortly after his death.
'Brian Montana was a very nice guy,' the caption read. 'He was jovial and a gentleman. He was into martial arts and he was an excellent guitar player. Brian was always cracking jokes and he was a good person. Although we weren't in touch often and more than a phone call here and there. The Brian I know is from when we were still just kids back in the beginning of Possessed. He was nothing like what I'm seeing being written about him. In fact, I think that's one of the reasons that led to him leaving Possessed. He just wasn't willing to be as dark as we wanted him to be at that time. We were going for that evil imagery, and Brian was just so lighthearted, even goofy in a good way.'
The band went on to ask for the public to respect the privacy of his family and close friends as they continue to mourn his death.
'He was obviously going through some struggles and I think this is the time to be respectful towards the Montana family and friends as this is a tragic time for them,' Possessed wrote. 'I'm sure there's a lot more to this story but that would be up to Brian's family to tell or not to tell. I know that I still feel this is a great loss and I'm deeply saddened.'