“Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia Sentenced to Death for Quadruple Murder in Riverside County”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Man Sentenced to Death for Quadruple Murder in Riverside County

A man convicted of a quadruple murder in Riverside County has been sentenced to the death penalty, officials announced on Friday. Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia, 24, was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 6 for the execution-style murders of four people in Palm Springs, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

The victims, identified as Carlos Campos-Rivera, 25, Jacob Montgomery, 19, Juan Duarte-Raya, 18, and Yuliana Garcia, 17, who was also pregnant at the time, were tragically killed on Feb. 3, 2019. Larin Garcia was riding in a vehicle with three of the victims when they drove to meet up with Campos-Rivera outside of his apartment complex.

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and the screams of the victims before a loud crash. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of Montgomery, Duarte-Raya, and Yuliana Garcia inside a crashed vehicle on Sunny Dunes Road. All the victims had targeted gunshot wounds to the head, and Yuliana Garcia’s hand was injured, indicating she had tried to shield herself from the gunfire.

Larin Garcia fled the scene but was later found hiding underneath a truck a few blocks away. He was covered in the victims’ blood and had removed his shoes and jacket. The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment of multiple abrasions, where he called his mother and asked for a lawyer. He then fled the hospital barefoot, still wearing his medical gown.

The next day, investigators located and arrested Larin Garcia at a Greyhound bus station. He had shaved his head, changed his clothing, and was holding a bus ticket to Florida under a fake name. He was charged with four counts of murder, and although a mistrial was declared in March 2022, a second trial was held where he was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder.

The jury also found true the allegation of the personal use of a firearm and the special circumstances of lying in wait and multiple victims involved. Due to these special circumstances, Larin Garcia was eligible for a death sentence, which was affirmed by a Riverside County judge on Feb. 9.

“The death penalty is reserved for those who have truly proven themselves to be without remorse for actions that are among the most egregious imaginable,” said Mike Hestrin, Riverside County District Attorney. “The decision made today reflects the heinous nature of these crimes, committed by a man who took so much away from so many people, for something so inconsequential.”

Prosecutor Samantha Paixao emphasized the magnitude of the crimes and the lasting impact on the victims’ loved ones. “It was five victims who were taken. Carlos, Jacob, Juan, Yuliana, and her unborn child,” said Paixao. “Their loss left a gaping wound in their lives. Mothers and fathers who are left without their child, children who have to grow up without their father, their grandchild, the siblings who must go on without their loved one.”

The sentencing of Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia to the death penalty brings a sense of justice for the families of the victims and the community of Palm Springs. The tragic incident in 2019 left a lasting impact, but the conviction and sentencing serve as a reminder that such heinous acts will not go unpunished..