Palm Springs quadruple homicide trial opens with prosecutor calling four deaths 'executions'

The trial against the man charged with four Palm Springs homicides started Monday with the prosecution describing the deaths on a February night in 2019 as "executions."

"They didn't stand a chance," Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao told jurors as she described each victim was shot twice by the gunman. "All four were executed. Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia is the executioner."

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao says the victims were shot execution style in the Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021.  Garcia is accused of murdering four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.
Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao says the victims were shot execution style in the Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021. Garcia is accused of murdering four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.

Garcia, 22, of Cathedral City, has pleaded not guilty to the killings of Carlos Campos Rivera, 25; Jacob Montgomery, 19; Juan Duarte Raya, 18; and Yuliana Garcia, 17.

The four were fatally shot just before midnight on Feb. 3, 2019, minutes and mere blocks apart. Rivera was found dead on Canon Drive, prone in the street with a gunshot wound to the head and arm.

The hearing on Monday marked the first day in a trial at Larson Justice Center in Indio that expected to extend well into the new year. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos is presiding over the case. If convicted, Larin Garcia could face the death penalty.

Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia looks on as the courtroom breaks for a recess during his quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021.  Garcia stands accused of murder in the deaths of four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.
Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia looks on as the courtroom breaks for a recess during his quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021. Garcia stands accused of murder in the deaths of four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.

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Police began receiving reports of shots fired around 11:40 p.m. and a witness saw the green car drive through a stop sign without stopping only to hesitate momentarily, Paixao said.

The witness has said that he heard people yelling in the vehicle, "go, go!" and soon after shots were heard before the car crashed into a brick wall, Paixao told jurors.

Montgomery, Raya and Garcia were found dead in a green Toyota Corolla that had crashed into a brick wall in front of a residence on the 3700 block of East Sunny Dunes Road at 11:42 p.m., according to the prosecution's trial brief filed with the court. The three had been fatally shot.

Paixao said in her opening statements that social media messages exchanged between Montgomery and Rivera show that the two were negotiating the sale of drugs minutes before the fatal shootings, the first indication of what the prosecution might argue is a possible motive for the killings. She said that Montgomery's last message indicated he was outside of Rivera's apartment in Raya's car.

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao says the victims were shot execution style in the Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021.  Garcia is accused of murdering four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.
Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao says the victims were shot execution style in the Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia quadruple homicide trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, November 29, 2021. Garcia is accused of murdering four young people in Palm Springs in February of 2019.

Police were dispatched to both scenes for separate reports of shots fired and a traffic collision but soon found that it was likely the two scenes were connected. Meanwhile, an officer canvassing the area found Larin Garcia hiding under a parked truck a couple of blocks from the car containing the three deceased.

Larin Garcia was taken to a hospital as he had lacerations and other injuries. He later left the hospital without the knowledge of police and walked to the home of a friend where he had been staying.

The friend, Joseph Beaver, purchased Larin Garcia a bus ticket under a fake name and coordinated with his relatives to get his wallet and other belongings. Larin Garcia was arrested at a Greyhound bus station in Indio on Feb. 5, 2019, and has been held on no bail since.

Villalobos excused the jurors for the day after attorneys argued over evidence during a break Monday morning.

The defense is expected to give opening statement on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs quadruple homicide trial opens with prosecutor calling four deaths 'executions'