Indio, California – A jury’s recommendation for the death penalty in the case of Jose Vladimir Larin Garcia, the man behind the execution-style murders of four individuals in Palm Springs in 2019, was affirmed by Judge Anthony Villalobos.
Larin Garcia, born on September 28, 1999, took the lives of Carlos Campos-Rivera, 25; Yuliana Garcia, 17; Jacob Montgomery, 19; and Juan Duarte-Raya, 18, on February 3, 2019. The jury’s decision came just over four years after the tragic incident.
On the night of the murders, Larin Garcia was in a car with three of the victims when he encountered Campos-Rivera near the gate of his apartment complex on Canon Drive. Following a fatal gunshot to Campos-Rivera, the car raced away, eventually coming to a stop on Sunny Dunes Road where the bodies of the remaining victims were discovered.
As investigations unfolded, Larin Garcia was found hiding under a truck near the scene of the disabled car, covered in the victims’ blood. Despite seeking medical treatment at a hospital, he fled barefoot, prompting his later arrest at the Greyhound bus station.
After a mistrial in March 2022, a second trial ensued, leading to Larin Garcia being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder along with various aggravating circumstances, making him eligible for a death sentence.
District Attorney Mike Hestrin emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating that the decision to pursue the death penalty was not taken lightly. The devastating loss felt by the victims’ families was poignantly expressed by Deputy DA Samantha Paixao and Maria Morales, mother of victim Yuliana Garcia.
The impact of the tragic event reverberated across Palm Springs, Thousand Palms, and Cathedral City where the victims resided, leaving a profound void in the lives of their loved ones.