Man Sentenced to 39 Years for Murdering Ex-Girlfriend
A man who stabbed to death the mother of his child in front of their 5-year-old son was sentenced Thursday to nearly 39 years in prison.
“This was a horrendous, evil, grotesque crime with many, many victims,” King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott said of the stabbing death inside the Seattle Center’s food and event hall. “This is among the most serious offenses we can conceive of.”
Horrified witnesses saw and heard what took place the afternoon of November 2, 2018. Many rushed to help the victim, Gabrielle Garcia, applying pressure to her neck and speaking with her to try to keep her conscious.
A woman jumped on the defendant’s back to get him away from Gabrielle. As the defendant turned, he slashed her in the face with the knife he used to kill Gabrielle. He then walked out of a restaurant, slamming the door behind him, leaving his 5-year-old child with strangers and Gabrielle dying on the floor.
Despite bystanders, Seattle Police Department Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Harborview surgeons’ best efforts, Gabrielle Maria Garcia died at 28 years old.
“This is among the worst domestic-violence crimes this state has ever seen,” Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Martin told The Seattle Times. Martin, chair of the Domestic Violence Unit, tried the case with Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jocelyn McCurtain. Speaking to KIRO 7, McCurtain said “David Lee Morris murdered Gabrielle Maria Garcia in a planned, cruel, and very public way.”
The defendant was convicted on May 20 of first degree murder with two aggravating factors: committing the crime in front of his own child, who has autism, and committing an offense that had a destructive and foreseeable impact on people other than the victim. The aggravating factors allowed the judge to sentence the defendant beyond the standard sentencing range set by state lawmakers.
If you or someone you love needs a protection order, those can now be obtained remotely — without having to come to the King County Courthouse. Follow this link for information.
Related Media Coverage:
Seattle Times: Man who killed ex-girlfriend at Seattle Center in front of son, dozens of witnesses given 38-year sentence
KIRO Radio: Man who murdered ex-girlfriend at Seattle Center sentenced for ‘horrendous’ crime
https://mynorthwest.com/3112064/man-stabbed-ex-girlfriend-seattle-center-sentenced-horrendous-crime/
KOMO: Man sentenced to 38-year prison term in girlfriend’s slaying at Seattle Center
KING
https://www.king5.com/embeds/video/281-8e252082-2a76-4f96-8e29-ce364459eb67/iframe
KIRO: Man convicted of fatal, ‘brutal’ Seattle Center stabbing sentenced to nearly four decades in prison
The Associated Press: Man gets nearly 39 years for fatally stabbing girlfriend
