Execution Report: Juan Garcia

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A jury found Garcia guilty of capital murder in February 2000 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in October 2001. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court, including those in which he claimed to be mentally retarded, were denied.

Garcia was also convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and given a life sentence for one of the other offenses.

Gabriel Morales was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. Eleazar Mendoza was sentenced to 55 years for aggravated robbery. Both men remain in custody as of this writing. Raymond McBen was sentenced to 30 years for aggravated robbery. He was paroled in July 2014.

In an interview from death row the week before his execution, Garcia said that he began using drugs at age nine. His habit included marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and "just about everything out there."

His life of crime also began at a young age. "My thing was breaking into cars. I'd take the rims, the radio, anything I could pawn and sell on the street." As a youth, he was arrested "more times than I can remember."

Nevertheless, Garcia described himself as a loving and devoted son and father of three, who shared what he stole with his invalid mother. He also portrayed himself as the victim of an abusive stepfather and dominating friends who pushed him down the wrong path in life. Unable to read and write until early adulthood and unable to get a job because of his criminal record, he was powerless to turn his life around, he said.

Garcia also disputed the official account of Solano's killing. He said it was Mendoza's idea to rob Solano, and Solano escalated the confrontation by resisting.

"He punches me," Garcia said. "First thing that came through my mind is that the dude is going to try to kill me. He grabbed the gun with both of his hands, and it discharged."

"My dad used to beat me," Garcia continued. "When that guy hit me, I was high on drugs, and the first person I saw was my dad. So I kept shooting."

"I never intended to kill him," Garcia said. He also denied committing the $8 robbery that turned the killing into a capital murder.

"I have no reason to lie," he said.

Despite his belief that he did not deserve to be put to death, Garcia said, "I'm at peace. I'm Catholic."

Hugo Solano was a Christian missionary from Mexico who had moved his family to Houston weeks before his death so that his children could be educated in the U.S. His widow, Ana, and their daughter attended Garcia's execution. He apologized to them before it began, and they sobbed and told him that they loved him.

"The harm that I did to your dad and husband - I hope this brings you closure," Garcia said in Spanish in his last statement. "I never wanted to hurt any of you all." He also told his sister and friends in English that he loved them and promised to always be with them. While Garcia spoke from the gurney, Mrs. Solano and her daughter raised their arms and prayed in a viewing room.

The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m.

Afterward, Ana Solano said that she accepted Garcia's apology because it came "from his heart." She also said that she wished the execution had not taken place, because people ought to be able to live to share what they learn from their mistakes.

By David Carson. Posted on 7 October 2015.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle.