Murder Without a BodyMurder cases are perhaps the most noteworthy criminal prosecution cases regularly tried. They are indicative of the state of society and its larger problems. Therefore, it is always of extreme interest when there are murder cases in which there is no body found. The implications for these situations are obvious: if there is no dead body, is it truly fair to convict someone of having committed murder? In numerous instances, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. One of the most determining factors in convicting someone of murder without a body is circumstantial evidence. In the case of People v. Garcia, circumstantial evidence proved the deciding factor in convicting Mario Flavio Garcia of murder in the first degree in which it was found that he killed Christie Wilson.
Although Wilson's body was never recovered, there was a bevy of evidence that suggested that Garcia had either killed Wilson or had intimate knowledge of her demise. The last time that Wilson was ever seen was leaving a casino with Garcia early in the morning. The pair had been drinking and gambling together for several hours. All of these facts were readily corroborated by the casino's cameras. Additional circumstantial evidence pertains to forensics. Lab work determined that there were strands of Wilson's hair found in Garcia's car. Similarly, there was blood attributed to Wilson...
This combination of factors figured rather prominently in the initial conviction of Garcia, and in a judge's decision to uphold the conviction in 2009. The case was originally tried much earlier and relatively close to the 2005 arrest of Garcia.
The impact of circumstantial evidence on this particular case is difficult to deny. In addition to the foregoing evidence, there was other evidence that played a significant role in the conviction of Garcia. It was determined that Garcia had a weapon in the car during the time in which it was alleged that Wilson was present. It is necessary to mention that in addition to murder, Garcia was also convicted of being in possession of a weapon that is illegal to have in one's personal vehicle. Additional circumstantial evidence includes the fact that Garcia was a felon. He was convicted of a felony for abusing a former girlfriend. This fact was used in the trial to indicate that Garcia had already demonstrated a marked proclivity for violence, particularly against women. The weapon that he was in possession of was a "collapsible baton" (Ofgang). All of this circumstantial evidence was further buttressed by the fact that Garcia was bruised when police initially went to question him. This fact was significant because it was later on demonstrated in court that Wilson "had been trained…
