OXNARD : Evaluation Ordered for Slaying Suspect
As a Ventura County judge appointed a psychiatrist to determine whether Jesus Garcia Jr. is fit to stand trial for murder, the defendant kept interrupting.
“May I ask a question? How much time am I facing?” asked Garcia of Oxnard, who is accused of murdering his father May 25.
“You have not been convicted of anything,” Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch pointed out.
“I’ve been here three months,” Garcia said, exaggerating somewhat. “How long is it going to take? I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ll plead guilty right now. I’m guilty, guilty, guilty.”
Storch and Garcia’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender William D. Perryman, ignored the offer. Along with Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol J. Nelson, they agreed on a psychiatrist to evaluate the defendant and scheduled a hearing for Aug. 10.
Garcia, 31, faces a prison term of 25 years to life if he is convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of his father, Jesus Garcia Sr., 49. Oxnard police found the elder Garcia in the driveway of the family home, bleeding from a wound in the abdomen. Investigators said the son admitted the stabbing but gave no explanation.
Garcia remains in Ventura County Jail with bail set at $500,000.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
