Christie Wilson case hits '48 hours'

The murder of 27-year-old Christie Wilson captivated many in the Auburn area, as did the conviction of her killer, Mario Garcia. Now the final chapter of the case will be the focus of "48 Hours Mystery" and air on national TV Saturday. "The Biggest Gamble" is set to air locally at 10 p.m. on KOVR-TV channel 13. Correspondent Erin Moriarty, of "48 Hours," said in a phone interview with the Journal Wednesday that the segment will provide those interested in the case with a closer look into the evidence that put Garcia behind bars."This hour will answer a lot of questions," Moriarty said. "You'll see a lot of the evidence and understand why he was convicted and hear from Mario."Garcia, 54, of Auburn, was found guilty by a jury of killing Wilson and hiding her body. The two were seen leaving the Thunder Valley Casino together in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2005. Wilson was never seen again.Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis sentenced Garcia Jan. 11 to 59-years-to-life in prison for the murder.Moriarty said Garcia was very self-assured during the interview."He was very determined to try to get across that he's innocent," she said. "At the end of the interview I looked at Paul LaRosa ("48 Hours" producer) and the two of us both said, 'I hope he did do it because he'll spend the next 50 years in prison.'"Saturday's one-hour segment reviews the two-month-long court case with courtroom footage of the jury's verdict.Moriarty said the viewers will hear from many of those involved in the case and will be assured that justice was served. She interviewed Garcia after his January sentencing. "He was our very last interview (for the show) and he was quite impressive," Moriarty said. "To the very end of that conversation he claims that he's innocent."Garcia has said all along that he and Wilson parted ways in the casino parking lot and that Wilson walked in the direction of the casino to retrieve her cell phone.DNA belonging to Wilson found in Garcia's white Toyota Camry linked him to her murder. He was arrested Oct. 14, 2005 and later charged with murder. A jury found him guilty in November 2006 of first-degree murder. At the time jurors stated that it was unexplained scratches to Garcia's face coupled with the DNA evidence that led them to the guilty verdict. "Garcia had a hard time explaining things," Moriarty said. "He has to deal with the fact that her DNA is in his car. He claims it's been planted, but doesn't say how."Garen Horst, deputy district attorney, successfully prosecuted the first no-body homicide case in Placer County history against Garcia. He expressed concern that Garcia will say on national TV that the evidence was planted and there really wasn't a solid case against him."(Garcia's) a good manipulator and a pathological liar," Horst said. Garcia testified during the trial that he received scratches to his face and torso after falling out of tree on his property. The jury didn't buy the story, nor did doctors who also testified."He was flat-out contradicted by the evidence," Horst said. "It would have had to have been a vast conspiracy against him."Horst said he's not surprised the case received national attention."I took it as a given," he said. "I found the case fascinating from the tragic loss of Christie and her family's effort to find her, to Mario's background. There were so many levels and components to the case."It was the complexity of the case that caught Moriarty's eye."I picked it because as a lawyer these cases were not done 10 years ago," she said. "It would have been rare 10 years ago to try a case with no body, no cause of death and no murder weapon."Moriarty practiced law for about two years before switching careers and becoming a reporter.Moriarty also interviewed several of the jurors, who said it was never a matter of guilt, just a matter of first or second degree."Garcia just says he's innocent and that the jurors didn't take enough time (in coming to their decision)," she said. Garcia's wife, Jean, and his eldest son Christopher were also interviewed for the show. Moriarty said Garcia's past including information about his ex-wife, Lourdes Monroy, having to go to a battered women's shelter because he hit her, will also be discussed. Garcia has a history of violence toward women and is connected to the death of two others. On Dec. 24, 1979 Garcia and his then-girlfriend Lynette Smith and her mother Violet Davis had gone to dinner in San Francisco and were headed home when the car they were in ended up in the Oakland Estuary. Smith and Davis drowned. Garcia survived. The drowning incident occurred less than a year after he allegedly raped Wendy Ward in Alameda. Wendy Ward has said that Garcia raped her on Jan. 12, 1979 in Alameda County. At the time, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office recommended that Garcia be charged with one count of kidnapping, two counts of forcible rape, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary. But when it was all said and done he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. "He tends to blame all of his problems on the women in his life," Moriarty said. "His explanation was because he was always in a stormy relationship." Horst just hopes viewers will see the real Mario Garcia portrayed on the show. "He's been able to get away with things in the past. He has a track record of getting away with things," Horst said. "I wonder if they can adequately address all of Mario's lies in a one-hour segment." The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com."48 Hours Mystery"What: Interview focusing on the final chapter of killer Mario Garcia's conviction for the 2005 murder of Christie WilsonWhen: Televised 10 p.m. Saturday, or 9 p.m. for satellite viewersChannel: KOVR-13