Palm Springs quadruple murder re-trial: defendant’s mother testifies
The mother of the man facing a re-trial in a quadruple murder case took the stand Wednesday.
Jose Larin Garcia is accused of murdering four people in Palm Springs in 2019. His first trial ended earlier this year with a deadlocked jury.
Speaking in Spanish through a translator, Larin Garcia's mother grew emotional, sitting just feet from her son who has been in custody nearly four years.
The night of the murders, Garcia received a voicemail from her son. He told her he was going to be arrested and admitted he was intoxicated and scared.
After Larin Garcia escaped from the hospital, he went to a friend's home. The next morning, his mother went to visit him. She said he smelled like alcohol, and growing upset, she "told him off." She said she was not aware of the murders at the time.
Ms. Garcia went home to get clothes for Larin Garcia and a cell phone. She said she was aware her son had plans to go to Florida. That was the last time she saw him that day. Police later arrived at her home to search Larin Garcia's room.
Testimony continued Wednesday about the victims' autopsies, too. Pathologist Dr. Allison Hunt autopsied Yuliana Garcia and Carlos Campos Rivera.
Both were killed instantly by a gunshot wound to his head.
Notably missing from Hunt's testimony was the fact the autopsy determined Garcia was pregnant at the time she was killed. While it was mentioned in the first trial, the new trial did not bring that detail before the jury.
News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia is tweeting live updates from court: follow along here.
Good morning- we continue to track the latest in the Larin Garcia quadruple murder re-trial. Follow my latest updates from court in the thread below. @KESQ https://t.co/9VeJJgWPlg
— Jake Ingrassia (@JakeKESQ) October 12, 2022
Tuesday, a friend of the defendant took the stand Tuesday in the re-trial for Jose Larin Garcia, the man accused of killing four people in Palm Springs in 2019. The defense tried to show investigators made mistakes in looking into the man they said was responsible for the killings.
BACKGROUND:
Jose Larin Garcia, a Cathedral City man, is accused of killing four people (ages 17-25): Carlos Campos, Jacob Montgomery, Yuliana Garcia and Juan Duarte Raya nearly four years ago.
The four victims were all found shot and killed on the night of February 3rd, 2019.
Three of the victims were found inside a car that crashed at Sunny Dunes and El Placer roads. The fourth victim was discovered in the street on Canon Dr. few blocks away.
When police arrived on scene, they found Larin Garcia hiding under a truck. They say he appeared intoxicated and covered in blood.
Larin Garcia was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment. Security footage shows him running from the hospital later that night.
Detectives have testified he then went to a friend’s house who he had buy him a one-way bus ticket to Florida using a fake name. Prosecutors say he was preparing to flee – shaving his head and beard to change his appearance. He was arrested waiting at the bus stop.
Larin Garcia is charged with four counts of murder. He also faces a special-circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders, opening him to the death penalty if convicted.
WEEK 2 IN COURT:
The jury heard from a police investigator and a friend of some of the victims.
A hospital nurse who treated Larin Garcia as a trauma patient the night of the murders testified he ran from the emergency department.
A Palm Springs police officer gave testimony key to the defense argument that another man carried out the shootings.
The jury was brought on-location to the scene of the crimes.
WEEK 1 IN COURT:
During opening statements, prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao asked the jury to hold Larin Garcia responsible for the four lives she said he stole.https://youtube.com/embed/qTPiv4vZAoc
Defense attorney John Patrick Dolan argued that another man, John Olvera, was responsible for the murders.
The jury heard from some of the first people on scene after the murders, including neighbors who saw the dead bodies and the police officer who first made contact with the suspect.
