Investigation Discovery’s “On the Case with Paula Zahn: Last Dance” chronicles the October 1996 murder of Eva Garcia, 45 years old, in Lubbock, Texas. Although they found blood samples at the crime site, the investigators had to wait seven years before they could use forensic technology to capture the killer.
Nearly a decade later, they finally caught the killer. We have all the information you need to find out more about the case, including the perpetrator’s identity and whereabouts. We have everything you need!
How Did Eva Garcia Die?
Eva Camacho Garcia, a Port Lavaca native, was a Lubbock resident at the time of the incident. She was proud to be a mother of six children and more than a dozen grandchildren. After dancing and partying at the Mirage Club on October 26, 1996, the 45-year-old was last seen alive. A pastor from the Central Baptist Church found her body, which was badly damaged and stripped. As he was getting ready to attend the Sunday memorial service, he saw the body behind a row of bushes in the church’s parking lot.
Also, read Is Medieval on Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, or Prime?
Eva’s body was found by the police when they arrived on the scene. The police found evidence that indicated the victim was forced to remove her clothes. This led to the victim being stripped of her clothes. She also had contusions, abrasions, and lacerations on her private and external genitalia. This indicates that she was sexually assaulted. Her cause of death was determined to be strangulation by the autopsy.
Eva Garcia was killed by who?
The evidence from the crime scene was sent to the Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory in Lubbock for analysis. However, no leads were found from the results. Two days after discovering the body, investigators discovered a bloodstain on the church’s wall. Law enforcement officers initially overlooked the evidence because it was not located near the body. It was discovered that the stain didn’t come from Eva. This suggests that it may have been her killer.
The case quickly became cold, as there were no leads or suspects. The blood sample was tested again in December 2003, and the data was entered into the national database. The investigators received a CODIS hit in 2004. The sample belonged to Albert Martinez Junior. He was arrested and made the prime suspect. Albert, who allegedly admitted to the crime during interrogation, was further implicated by confessing to having beaten Eva via a telephone call from custody.
Albert, 36 at the time, was accused of capital murder in April 2005. He denied that he was acting alone. Incriminating phone calls later, he was still found saying that he was present when she was being fu*ked and hit her. But I wasn’t alone, you hear? Albert also had a criminal record for burglary and was sentenced in 1992 to 10 years imprisonment.
Also, read Bad Sisters Episode 5 Recap and Ending Explained
Where is Albert Martinez today?
Albert was convicted on the capital murder charge. He received a capital sentence of life imprisonment on December 11, 2008. The prosecution didn’t use the death penalty to honor Eva’s wishes. Eva’s granddaughters and daughters were present at her trial. One of her daughters, Teresa Jones, said, “The hugs, kisses, and hugs that she gave to us.” Albert appealed against the 2010 judgment but was denied. He was currently in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Institutional Division prison cell as of March 2010. He must be at least 54 years old as of today.
