California man charged in 1981 cold case killings of 2 women
Tony Garcia was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
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A Southern California man has been charged in connection to the 1981 killings of two women, whose cases until now had gone cold, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Tony Garcia, 68, of Oxnard, made his first court appearance Thursday, but the arraignment was continued to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 23, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a news release. Garcia is being held at the Ventura County Jail without bail.
A Navy veteran and former martial arts teacher, Garcia is accused of kidnapping, raping and strangling Rachel Zendejas, 20, in Camarillo in January 1981, and of strangling 21-year-old Lisa Gondek in Oxnard in December 1981.
Zendeja’s body was found in a carport, while Gondek’s remains were found after a fire was reported in an Oxnard apartment, Nasarenko said.
Garcia was ultimately linked to the murders using DNA analysis, and arrested on Feb. 7 of this year. The LA Times reports that investigators narrowed down Garcia as a suspect by creating family history profiles using DNA and traditional genealogical methods. This is called genetic genealogy, according to the LA Times.
It was not immediately clear Friday if Garcia had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
“After more than four decades, justice is finally coming to the families of Rachel Zendejas and Lisa
Gondek,” Nasarenko said in a statement. “As this case demonstrates, murder charges can be brought at any time and there is no statute of limitations for homicides.”
Garcia had been living only a few miles away from the scenes of the crimes until he was finally connected to the killings, according to authorities.
“The fact is, this suspect has been hiding in plain sight for over 40 years,” Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said at a news conference, according to NewsNation local affiliate KTLA.
Nasarenko’s office said it hasn’t decided whether to seek the death penalty or life in prison without parole for Garcia.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about Garcia or these cases can contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Bureau at 805-383-8704 or email coldcase@ventura.org.
The Associated Press and NewsNation local affiliate KTLA contributed to this report.
