Fairfield Man Found Guilty Of Bombing Former Tenant's SUV
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Fairfield man accused of placing a bomb underneath the vehicle of his former tenant was found guilty in federal court on Tuesday.
Daniel Richard Garcia, 30, was convicted of malicious use of explosives, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence and two counts of possession of unregistered destructive devices. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton.
According to testimony presented at trial, at approximately 1 a.m. on May 27, Garcia placed a pipe bomb underneath an SUV parked next to an apartment building in Fairfield. The bomb detonated, causing a fireball and sending shrapnel into the SUV and the nearby apartment building where two young children were sleeping. Investigators were able to piece together parts of the bomb and link them to Garcia.
The targeted SUV belonged to Garcia's former roomates and Garcia was angry that the tenants had taken a cable box and left behind trash when moving out. Garcia testified at trial that he had become "numb" about the dispute. During a search of Garcia's house in June, law enforcement found and disabled a second bomb. Garcia was arrested two days later after a police standoff.
Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Karlton on April 3 at 9:15 a.m. The maximum statutory penalty for malicious use of explosives is 40 years in prison, the maximum penalty for possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence is life in prison, and the maximum penalty for possession of an unregistered destructive device is 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Garcia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years.
