Summary

THE MAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND ON HER WEDDING DAY TAKES THE STAND IN HIS DEFENSE.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 215694
Story Slug WEDDING MURDER TRIAL (10/16/2001)
Location HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY
Format PKG
Date 10/16/2001
Archive Time 7:25
TRT 1:44
Supers Hackensack, NJ Raymond Colon, Garcia's Defense Attorney Sheri Hensley, Reporting September 26, 1999 Ridgefield, Bergen County Agustin Garcia, Defendant Fred Schwanwede, Prosecutor
Video Description ((NOTE: CANNOT license shooting/home video, only trial video) LAWYER IN COURT, DEFENDANT ON STAND, HOME VIDEO OF WEDDING, DEFENDANT, WOMAN IN WEDDING DRESS, DEFENDANT SOT, WOMAN IN WEDDING DRESS, HOME VIDEO OF CARS, DEFENDANT SOT, WOMAN SHOT ON TAPE, DEFENDANT SURROUNDED BY GUARD ON STAND, DEFENDANT ON STAND, WEDDING VIDEO, LAWYER SOT
Description THE MAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND ON HER WEDDING DAY TAKES THE STAND IN HIS DEFENSE.
Script LEAD: THE MAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND IN HER WEDDING GOWN IN RIDGEFIELD, NEW JERSEY, TWO YEARS AGO TOOK THE STAND IN HIS OWN DEFENSE TODAY. AGUSTIN GARCIA SPENT ALL DAY ON THE WITNESS STAND, SOMETIMES BREAKING DOWN AS HIS ATTORNEY QUESTIONED HIM. BUT AT TIMES DURING CROSS-EXAMINATION GARCIA WAS COMBATIVE. HE MAINTAINS HE NEVER MEANT TO KILL GLADYS RICART, HIS ON AND OFF LOVER FOR SEVEN YEARS. GARCIA SAYS HE THOUGHT THEY WERE STILL VERY MUCH TOGETHER MAKING PLANS FOR THEIR FUTURE. SHERI HENSLEY WAS AT THE COURTHOUSE TUESDAY. ( SCRIPT: ((SOT)) "Did you have any intention of killing her? No, I love her. I can't kill a person I love. I would give my life for her." AGUSTIN GARCIA SAYS IT WAS THE SHOCK OF SEEING GLADYS RICART IN A WEDDING DRESS THAT PUSHED HIM OVER THE EDGE. GARCIA TESTIFIED ABOUT THE WEEKS BEFORE GLADYS' DEATH. THAT THEY HAD HAD SEX IN HIS NORTH BERGEN HOME AT LEAST 3 TIMES THE WEEK BEFORE SHE DIED. EVEN THE NIGHT BEFORE GLADYS WAS TO MARRY ANOTHER MAN, GARCIA SAYS THE TWO WERE TOGETHER IN HIS BEDROOM. ((SOT)) "We started doing massages, the things people in love do." GARCIA MAINTAINS HE HAD NO IDEA GLADYS WAS ABOUT TO MARRY SOMEONE ELSE THE NEXT DAY. HE TESTIFIED SHE TOLD HIM SHE WAS GOING SHOPPING. GARCIA SAYS THAT DAY, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26TH 1999. HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO AN ART EXHIBITION WHEN HE DROVE BY HER HOUSE WHEN HE SAW WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A CELEBRATION. GARCIA SAYS WHEN HE GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND WALKED INTO RICART'S HOME, HE WAS ATTACKED BY HER BROTHER AND SON. ((SOT)) "So like, step in, get punch right away like with a brick really hard. I lunged to get away." GARCIA SAYS HE WAS TRYING TO DEFEND HIMSELF AND IN THE COURSE OF THAT STRUGGLE THE GUN WENT OFF... 5 TIMES. GLADYS RICART WAS HIT BY 3 BULLETS. DURING HIS TESTIMONY, GARCIA BEGAN SOBBING AND HAD TO BE LED OUT BY THREE GUARDS, BUT ON CROSS-EXAMINATION, THE PROSECUTOR GRILLED GARCIA ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH RICART IN THE WEEKS BEFORE HER DEATH. THE PROSECUTION CONTENDS GARCIA KNEW RICART HAD BROKEN OFF THE RELATIONSHIP TO MARRY SOMEONE ELSE, AND THAT GARCIA WAS STALKING HER. ((SOT)) "Isn't it true you followed her to the Pathmark and approached her in the parking lot of that store? It is not true."
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Keywords

WEDDING DAY SHOOTING
AGUSTIN GARCIA
GLADYS RICART
WEDDING DAY MURDER
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