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James King
| Crime |

Wife of Super-Dad Admits to Killing Husband Because "She Was Angry With Him"; Threatened to Kill Kids, Too

James King | July 9, 2010 | 8:15am
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We've got some new details about the Phoenix woman who was arrested yesterday for the 2005 murder of her husband -- a veteran of both the Army and Navy and father of what police estimate to be about 30 children -- and she claims she murdered the man because "she was angry with him," court records show.

She even told her doctor she planned to kill her kids, too.

Daniel Garcia, 79, went missing on May 6, 2005 and was never heard from again.

Court documents obtained by New Times show that his wife, 43-year-old Larisa Garcia -- who was the person who initially reported Garcia missing -- confessed to the murder of her husband of 10 years on several occasions before she was finally taken into custody yesterday. 

In December of 2009 Larisa Garcia confessed to her sister that she smothered Garcia with a pillow, put his body in the trunk of her car, drove it to the Navajo Indian Reservation, and set it on fire at a remote, family camp site.

This past May, detectives interviewed Garcia about the disappearance and she told them the same story, saying she "did it because she was angry with him," court docs show.

Garcia wasn't arrested after the admission, though -- Phoenix police Sergeant Trent Crump tells New Times that she was on tribal land at the time of the confession and police were out of their jurisdiction.

Garcia apparently wasn't done squealin' on herself. On June 15, she confessed to her doctor that she'd murdered her husband.

She also claimed she was suicidal and threatened to "kill her kids like she killed her husband."

Garcia eventually left the reservation and was arrested in Phoenix.

Garcia led detectives to the spot where she'd disposed of her husband, leading to the discovery of likely bone fragments.

Garcia was booked on one count of second-degree murder. The arresting officer told the judge that Garcia shouldn't be let out on bail because of the threats to her children and her ability to flee to the sovereign Navajo Nation. 

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