Fresno man shot, girlfriend killed on way home from jail after he was acquitted of murder
A Fresno man who was freed of murder charges Tuesday was shot and his girlfriend fatally wounded on Highway 180 just minutes after he walked out of jail, his attorney said Wednesday.
Michael Garcia, 21, had been held on $1,700,000 bail since June 2019 in the shooting death of Gregory Garza, 23. But Garcia was acquitted of the charges and was looking forward to a new life and leaving the city when the shooting took place about 10 p.m., said Garcia’s attorney Eric Castellon.
The woman killed was identified Wednesday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Ernestine Thomas, 21, of Fresno.
Garcia was hit by four gunshots and remains hospitalized.
“They were waiting at the jail for him,” added Castellon, who argued successfully that police and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the wrong man in the shooting death of Garza.
Castellon also disputed initial reports that there was return fire Tuesday night from Garcia’s car during what was described by the CHP as a highway gun battle.
“I don’t know how my client would even have a gun, because he just left jail,” said Castellon, who also said he didn’t believe Garcia’s girlfriend would be the type to carry a weapon either.
Castellon speculated that there might have been more than one car pursuing the couple, who wanted out of Fresno as soon as possible. Efforts to reach the CHP to respond to that were unsuccessful.
“They were planning on leaving so they could get away from all this madness” Castellon said of the couple. “It’s a gang hit, that’s for sure.”
Garcia’s family received some apparent threats on social media, Castellon added.
Castellon disputed police allegations made shortly after Garza was killed that his client committed the slaying because of gang rivalries.
“My client didn’t have gang affiliations,” said Castellon, adding that Garcia does not have any gang tattoos.
“He wasn’t the shooter. Witness identifications didn’t match up. Ballistics didn’t match up.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 3:21 PM.