Penn. Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Ritualistic Torture, Murder
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to life without parole for torturing, stabbing and dismembering a Los Angeles man in a downtown hotel room, prosecutors said Friday.
Edward Garcia Jr., 41, was sentenced in Superior Court for the Nov. 28, 2010, murder of Herbert Tracy White, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.
Garcia was found guilty in June of first-degree murder for White's death, a charge that included the special circumstance allegation that the murder involved the infliction of torture.
Prosecutors say Garcia and his wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, killed White as part of a ritualistic killing to murder and dismember a human being.
White's killing came to light in Nov. 2010, when a maid at the Continental Hotel found part of the 49-year-old victim's body in a backpack. The rest of his body was later found in a blanket under a bed in the hotel room.
Melissa Hope Garcia is awaiting a separate trial. She returns to court on Aug. 21 for a pretrial hearing.
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