Couple , Melissa Hope Garcia & Edward Garcia, wanted in dismemberment killing of Herbert Tracy White, arrested

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Melissa Hope Garcia, Edward Garcia AP – FILE - This undated photo provided Dec. 8, 2010 by the Los Angeles Police Department shows homicide suspects, …
By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Greg Risling, Associated Press – Sat Dec 11, 5:06 am ET

LOS ,– A Pennsylvania couple far from home and suspected of cutting up a Good Samaritan into pieces were arrested after being found in an abandoned office building just several miles from the slaying.

Police thought Edward Garcia Jr., 36, and his 25-year-old wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, had left Southern California and may have returned to York, Pa. On Friday, a fugitive task force arrested the pair, who were living in squalid conditions in an abandoned office building in Hollywood.

The Garcias have been charged with murder and the special circumstances of torture in the Thanksgiving killing of Herbert Tracy White, 49, of Los Angeles. A maid found his dismembered body stuffed in a backpack and under a bed in the Continental Hotel in the seedy downtown Skid Row area.

Authorities believe they were trying to rob White, who had befriended them and gave them money.

It appears that White "initially was attempting to help both suspects, then somehow things got out of hand at the hotel room," said Los Angeles police Detective Julio Benavides.

Investigators believe the couple were going to take away White's body but were interrupted. The hotel room was rented by the Garcias.

Police interviewed the couple Friday night. Investigators said that while they couldn't reveal if there was a confession, the Garcias were upset about what happened.

"Their attitude toward it, was there was some remorse involved," said Los Angeles police Detective Richard Arciniega. "Mr. Garcia basically apologized to the (White) family for his actions."

A 3 1/2-inch "hunting-type" knife has been found that was used to kill White, police said. The couple are believed to be the only suspects.

Both appeared to have sores on their faces caused by drug use and Melissa Garcia, who also goes by the name of Melissa Turner, had recently cut her hair and put red streaks in it, authorities said.

"They were asleep when we kicked the door in," Brown said. "They were coherent but they looked like they were on the downside of a drug binge."

Authorities learned of the Garcias' whereabouts through tips, including information from York. Several homeless people were staying in the same abandoned building where they were found.

Arciniega said the White family is relieved the couple were arrested and apparently so is Edward Garcia.

"One thing Mr. Garcia did say was that he was glad it's over," Benavides said.

The Garcias are expected to be arraigned in court Monday. The couple had several previous arrests for robbery in Pennsylvania.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

:pale: I wonder what kind of drugs they were doing.

January 5, 2011

The husband and wife accused of killing and dismembering a Good Samaritan who allegedly came to their aid, both pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge.

Edward Garcia Jr., 36, and his wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, 25, are charged with one count each of murder in the slaying of Herbert Tracy White.

The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation that the murder involved the infliction of torture.

The two were arrested without incident Dec. 10 at a vacant building in the 1600 block of La Brea Avenue after several hours of surveillance following news-generated tips, according to Los Angeles police.

White’s killing came to light Nov. 29, when a maid at the Continental Hotel found part of the 49-year-old victim’s body in a backpack. The rest of his body was later found in a blanket under a bed in the hotel room.

Police believe the suspects and the victim met in Hollywood, then went to the room rented by the couple. A knife was recovered at the scene.

According to police, White’s limbs were removed from his body, which was in five pieces.

At a news conference last month, White’s relatives said he had mentioned meeting a couple at an automated teller machine and being told their hard-luck story.

White’s relatives said he tended to be kind to people because he was a handyman who had been sober for 15 years and believed he had been given a second chance at life. If someone needed a meal, money or a ride home, he was always there, they said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

During an emotional press conference today, the LAPD's Newton Division and family members of murder victim Herbert White shared details about the crime and their lost loved one, according to a live report on KTLA.

The LAPD provided photos of the suspects in White's murder, Edward Garcia, Jr., 36, and his wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, 25, who may be on their way to their home state of Pennsylvania. They also noted that they are looking into information about a similar crime in Pennsylvania that might involve the Garcias, though no one was killed in that incident.

White's dismembered body was found by a housekeeper in the couple's vacated room at Downtown's Continental Hotel. Relatives say White was a recovering alcoholic who often went out of his way to heed the calls of fellow alcoholics needing help on their path to recovery. Remarking on White's kindness, they also noted that the day of the press conference would have been his 50th birthday.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]