WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 24, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — A jury today found a Pennsylvania man guilty of the 2010 first-degree murder, torture and dismemberment of a Los Angeles man in a downtown hotel room, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
A jury of eight men and four women deliberated about 2 ½ days before finding Edward Garcia Jr. guilty of killing Herbert Tracy White, who was murdered about a week before his 50th birthday. Jurors also found true the special circumstances of murder during a robbery and murder involving torture.
Garcia, 41, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he returns to Department 106 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Aug. 14 for sentencing in case BA378772. Garcia’s wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, 30, is awaiting a separate trial.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney with the Major Crimes Division told jurors Garcia and his wife killed White on or about Nov. 28, 2010, as part of a ritualistic killing to murder and dismember a human being. Some of White’s remains were discovered in a backpack in a room at the Continental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Other body parts were discovered underneath a blood-stained mattress in the room where the couple stayed.
Melissa Garcia is due in court on Friday for a pretrial hearing.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
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About the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation. Her staff of nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members is dedicated to seeking justice for victims of crime and enhancing public safety. Last year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted more than 71,000 felony defendants and nearly 112,000 misdemeanor defendants.
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