Detective testifies Wilson may have been drugged

SACRAMENTO - Christie Wilson may have been slipped a date rape drug the night she disappeared.Detective Don Murchison of the Placer County Sheriff's Department took the stand Wednesday during the afternoon session of the murder trial against Mario Garcia, who is suspected of killing Wilson more than a year ago.Murchison testified that Wilson appeared to exhibit symptoms or signs of being under the influence of a drug, similar to Ketamine."Mood swings, slow slurred speech, diarrhea, and impaired motor skills are symptoms," Murchison testified. "(It's also involves) blacking out or passing out."In earlier testimony the jury heard that Garcia, 54, of Auburn, had visited Web sites on forensic toxicology and date rape drugs.According to the Web site www.4women.gov, the drugs are often are colorless, odorless and tasteless and can "easily be added to flavored drinks without the victim's knowledge."Garcia was the last person seen with 27-year-old Wilson in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2005 leaving the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln. After extensive searches of Placer and surrounding counties, Wilson's body has never been discovered. Authorities believe that she was murdered. Garcia is now facing first-degree murder charges in Sacramento courtroom after a judge ruled that there was extensive pre-trial publicity in Placer County.Earlier in the trial, now in its fifth week, the jury watched casino video surveillance tape that showed Garcia and Wilson gambling together and drinking wine.Murchison, who has a police background in undercover narcotics, testified that if there is a taste to the drug it can be covered."The drugs are commonly placed in a drink," he said. "The flavor, if any, can be masked in wine."According to the date rape drug Web site, the drugs can affect an individual "quickly.""The length of time that the effects last varies. It depends on how much of the drug is taken and if the drug is mixed with other substances, like alcohol, (which) can worsen the drug's effects," according to the Web site.Wilson can be seen on surveillance tape staggering from the casino with Garcia. Jurors heard in earlier testimony that Wilson and Garcia shared wine with several individuals while playing blackjack.Garcia was arrested Oct. 14, 2005 on unrelated weapons charges and charged with Wilson's murder Oct. 28, 2005.Throughout the year-long investigation Garcia's attorney Ron Peters has said Wilson and Garcia parted ways in the casino parking lot when Wilson returned to the casino to retrieve her cell phone.Hair found in and on Garcia's white Toyota Camry has tested positive, through DNA analysis to belong to Christie Wilson. Additionally, prosecutor Horst told jurors in his opening statements that blood and other stains in the car have been determined to belong to Wilson.Garcia is being held on $3 million bail and is being housed at the Sacramento County Jail throughout the trial, which is expected to continue into November.The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com.