Garcia murder trial opens

SACRAMENTO - The prosecution contends that blood samples found in an Auburn man's car prove he killed 27-year-old Christie Wilson, but the defense focused its attention on Wilson's boyfriend as the possible culprit during opening statements Monday in the Mario F. Garcia murder trial.Garen Horst, deputy district attorney for Placer County, said in his opening statement to a jury of 10 men and two women that bloodstains were found on the back seat of Garcia's Toyota Camry. Through DNA analysis the stains tested positive and some are Wilson's. Several of the samples were mixed and were reportedly determined to contain both Garcia and Wilson's DNA, Horst said."The forensic evidence will tell the story about what happened to Christie Wilson," Horst told the jury. "The evidence will show, No. 1 that Christie is dead and No. 2 the defendant is guilty as charged of murder."Garcia, 54, of Auburn, sat quietly next to his attorneys. His wife, Jean Garcia, sat in the audience with an unidentified friend and declined to comment afterward.Mario Garcia is the last known person to see Wilson alive. The two were seen leaving the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln around 1:13 a.m. Oct. 5, 2005. Wilson hasn't been seen or heard from since. Garcia was arrested Oct. 14 and later charged with her murder.Garcia contends that he and Wilson parted ways in the parking lot and Wilson returned to retrieve her cell phone she left inside the casino.Ron Peters, Garcia's attorney, painted a picture of innocence when he addressed the jury in his opening statement."Mario Garcia is not guilty and had nothing to do with the disappearance of Christie Wilson," Peters said. "He didn't take her out of the parking lot that night."Horst said that in January the backseat of Garcia's Camry was taken to the Department of Justice Crime Lab for further analysis after investigators found what appeared to be a bloodstain that someone had tried to clean from the upholstery of the backseat.A swab of the driver's-side-passenger-door handle inside the vehicle yielded a "stain" that Horst said DNA analysis determined Wilson was a "major contributor," meaning the majority of the sample tested positive for her DNA. An additional stain was located below the door handle and the "profile" of the sample was "consistent with Christie Wilson," Horst told the jurors. It wasn't made clear if all the stains were blood or other bodily fluids.Peters was steadfast in his assertion that Wilson may not be dead."Nobody knows if she's dead or alive," he said. "If she's dead nobody in this room knows how she died."During a preliminary hearing earlier this year it was revealed that a strand of Wilson's hair was found on the front passenger door of Garcia's car.Peters went on to elude that if the car was a "crime scene," as Horst portrayed it in earlier statements, that the "so-called" evidence may have been planted."If the car was a crime scene it was a bungled crime scene," Peters said. "When (Garcia) drove the car to the (Sheriff's Department) the hair wasn't there."Peters focused his attention on Wilson's boyfriend, Daniel Burlando, who filed a missing persons report with the Sacramento Police Department Oct. 6, 48 hours after Wilson's disappearance.Burlando was the first witness called by the prosecution to take the stand Monday. He seemed to have difficulty recalling times, dates and sequences of events and appeared nervous in the witness box. He requested two restroom breaks and argued with the defense. He was admonished by Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry Gaddis, who is presiding over the proceedings."You may not speak directly to Mr. Peters and you may not speak to me or you'll be in trouble," Gaddis said.Burlando testified that he left Wilson the evening of Oct. 4, 2005 for a dinner engagement at his parents' home. He last heard from Wilson around 10:30 p.m. that night. When she didn't return to his Sacramento apartment he testified that he became worried and eventually called area hospitals, jails, family and friends."I didn't want to alarm her family," Burlando testified. "I decided to wait 48 hours."He will return to the stand today. Debbie Boyd, Wilson's mother is expected to testify this afternoon.Jean Garcia sat in the audience and will not testify on behalf of her husband. Peters has said that Mario Garcia could take the stand in his own defense. It is also possible that the Garcia's sons, Christopher and Andy could testify, Judge Gaddis said.Garcia remains in Placer County Jail on $3 million bail. Court resumes today in Dept. 41 of Sacramento Superior Court. The case was moved from Placer County due to extensive media coverage.The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com.PENNE USHER