The Hollister man ensnared in a bizarre case wrought with
allegations of witchcraft and Satanism pleaded not guilty to a
charge of attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend Wednesday.
Sontu Garcia, who is being charged with attempted murder,
domestic violence and evading police, allegedly tried to kill his
ex-girlfriend, Brandy Raquel Jackson, because he believed it was
the only way to reclaim a piece of his soul that she had stolen,
according to Jackson.
Hollister – The Hollister man ensnared in a bizarre case wrought with allegations of witchcraft and Satanism pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend Wednesday.
Sontu Garcia, who is being charged with attempted murder, domestic violence and evading police, allegedly tried to kill his ex-girlfriend, Brandy Raquel Jackson, because he believed it was the only way to reclaim a piece of his soul that she had stolen, according to Jackson.
Garcia and his attorney, Greg La Forge, appeared before San Benito County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders Wednesday afternoon in a speedy hearing where Garcia pleaded not guilty to all three felony charges. La Forge asked for 30 days before a trial date is set to review the transcripts of the preliminary hearing, where the bizarre allegations including claims of blackmail, methamphetamine abuse and bondage first arose.
The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office originally charged Garcia with solicitation to commit murder because they believed a cryptic note police found asked a friend to help him kill Jackson. Sanders dismissed the charge at a preliminary hearing last month because of a lack of evidence.
During the preliminary hearing, which is conducted like a trial in front of a judge, Sanders ruled there was enough evidence for Garcia to stand trial on the three other felony charges. However, he concluded that portions of testimony by Jackson and another primary witness for the prosecution were not credible.
Garcia was arrested last November when Jackson reported that after a night of heavy methamphetamine use, he choked her almost to the point of passing out because “he believes in witchcraft and he thinks I took something from him,” Jackson said during the March court hearing.
Jackson testified that Garcia repeatedly tied her up and raped her, physically and emotionally abused her and forced her to stay with him for more than a year by force and fear.
But during the course of the preliminary hearings, La Forge and Deputy District Attorney Steven Wagner questioned witnesses, including a Hollister police detective, who testified that both Garcia and Jackson were involved with witchcraft and they had a proclivity for bondage and rough sex. If convicted of attempted murder, Garcia could face up to nine years in prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Garcia will be back before a judge on June 1, when a trial date will be set.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
