Nov 28, 2006 3:45 pm US/Pacific
Garcia Back In Court For Separate Charge
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
A week after being convicted of murder, Mario Garcia is back in court today to face a prior misdemeanor charge that may be added as a felony strike, officials said.
In November 1981 Garcia pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. The charge was then reduced to a misdemeanor in May 1988. In this case Garcia was suspected of kidnapping and raping Wendy Ward.
Judge Larry D. Gaddis will hear testimony and evidence this afternoon at the Placer County Historic Courthouse. If the charge is considered a strikeable offense Garcia could face double the minimum sentence of murder.
Garcia remains in the Placer County Jail on $3 million bail. He was found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Christie Wilson on November 21, 2006.
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