Jury to Hear Tapes of Suspect’s Statements

Accused of killing an Upper Ojai man and his daughter during a psychotic episode, Miguel Hugo Garcia won permission Monday to play for jurors the audiotapes and videotapes that police made of his bizarre statements after the slayings.

Garcia, 43, also won approval from Superior Court Judge James Cloninger to withdraw his plea of not guilty, leaving only his previous plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

This means that Garcia admits he fatally shot Helen Giardini, 43, and Albert “Jim” Alexander on May 22 at Alexander’s home, but that he was insane at the time.

If the jury agrees with that plea, Garcia probably would be committed to a psychiatric hospital. But if it finds him guilty of murder, he faces a possible life prison sentence without parole.

Garcia will have strong ammunition for his plea. The judge’s order allows jurors to hear and see police tapes that captured Garcia speaking and acting strangely the day after the slayings.

On audiotapes made in a sheriff’s interview room, Garcia claims he is a Muslim warrior named Rashid Ali, sent to protect a 3-year-old savior--Giardini’s son, who witnessed her death.

And in a videotaped walk-through of the crime scene, Garcia is shown kissing detectives’ feet, and explaining that he laid cigars in a circle on the floor there to protect himself.

Jurors will also be permitted to hear a 911 tape in which Garcia, moments after the slayings, claims to have shot to death a demon and a devil at Alexander’s home.