An important hearing was held on Thursday in the murder retrial of Jose Larin Garcia.
He was accused of killing four people in Palm Springs in 2019.
Judge Anthony Villalobos returned to the bench after pleading ill earlier this week and releasing jurors.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys asked jurors about the covert “Perkins” operation, in which law enforcement officers pretended to be inmates in Larin Garcia prison cells to see what they could learn. We discussed whether to present important components.
During the hours of recording, Larin Garcia could be heard saying “screwed” using the Spanish word “fregada”.
The defense said they heard him say many times that Larin Garcia was also innocent.
Investigators have warned that his mother, Larin Garcia, could be charged with assisting in murder. This was true because at the time she brought her phone and new clothes when she was preparing to board an out-of-state Greyhound bus.
The defense argued that agents entered to ascertain the location of the gun used in the murder and the motive for the murder, but neither was brought out.
Testimony is scheduled to resume on Monday.
Background:
Jose Larin Garcia, a man from Cathedral City, was charged with murdering four people, aged 17 to 25, Carlos Campos, Jacob Montgomery, Juliana Garcia and Juan Duarte Laya, almost four years ago.
All four victims were found shot dead on the night of February 3, 2019.
Three of the victims were found in cars that had collided on the roads of Sunny Dunes and El Placer. A fourth victim was found on Canon Dr. Street a few blocks away.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Larin Garcia hiding under a truck. They say he looked drunk and covered in blood.
Larin Garcia was taken to the Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment. Security footage shows him running from the hospital later that night.
Detectives testify that he went to a friend’s house and used a false name to purchase a one-way bus ticket to Florida. Prosecutors say he was preparing to flee – shaved his head and beard to change his appearance.
Larin Garcia has been charged with four counts of murder. He is also facing special circumstances allegations that he has committed multiple murders, and if convicted he will face the death penalty.
Fourth week in court:
A friend of Larin Garcia told jurors that days before the murder, the defendant showed him a gun and threatened to kill someone.
A PSPD detective testified about the evidence she collected from the scene and a security video showing Larin Garcia fleeing the hospital.
A girlfriend of one of the victims talked about showing police Facebook messages sent the night of the murders regarding the fentanyl drug trade at the center of these murders.
The man whose defense attorneys claim was responsible for the murder testified that he did not kill the four victims in the incident.
Third week in court:
A family friend who sheltered Larin Garcia after he fled the hospital last week testified.
Larin Garcia’s mother took the stand and revealed that he called her on the night of the murder, and she brought him clothes and a cell phone after he fled the hospital.
The coroner testified that all victims died instantly from gunshot wounds to the head.
A friend of the defendant told of an important phone call from the defendant shortly after the murder occurred.
Second week in court:
The jury heard from police investigators and friends of the victim.
A hospital nurse who treated Larin Garcia as a trauma patient on the night of the murder testified that he had fled the emergency department.
A Palm Springs police officer gave key testimony in the defense’s allegation that another man carried out the shooting.
The jury was taken to the crime scene.
First week in court:
In her opening statement, prosecutor and deputy district attorney Samantha Paishao asked the jury to hold Larin Garcia responsible for the four lives stolen.https://youtube.com/embed/ qTPiv4vZAoc
Defense attorney John Patrick Dolan claimed that another man, John Olvera, was responsible for the murder.
Jurors spoke to several of the first people to appear at the scene after the murders, including neighbors who saw the bodies and police officers who had first made contact with the suspect.
