Morgan Hill homicide suspect Roy Anthony Lopez was formally charged last week with murder and child endangerment for the death of his wife, Jasmyne Garcia, at the family’s home.
Prosecutors with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office allege that Lopez had become intoxicated on Oct. 2 and assaulted one of the couple’s three children before beating Garcia to death inside their residence on Vintage Lane.
Lopez, 37, was arraigned Oct. 6 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. He remains in custody at the county jail, with a plea hearing scheduled for Dec. 15.
Morgan Hill Police arrested Lopez on Oct. 3, after receiving a call from San Jose Police that he had brought Garcia, 34, to Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. Lopez had informed hospital staff that he had killed his wife, who was in his vehicle outside the hospital, according to authorities.
Medical staff attempted to treat Garcia, but she was pronounced dead. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Jasmyn Lopez. A gofundme fundraising site set up by her family identifies her as Jasmyne Garcia.
Police responded to the family’s home where they located three children, ages 3, 6 and 14, amid a bloody mess inside, says a “statement of facts” filed in court by the DA’s office.
One of the children told police that on the afternoon of Oct. 2 Roy Lopez had become intoxicated and was upset that the child asked for permission to ride his bicycle with a friend. The child said Lopez “cornered him in his bedroom, grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head against the bed multiple times before leaving the residence,” says the statement, which is redacted to protect personal details about the children and mother.
Lopez and the child left the home separately, says the statement. When the child returned, he “found the home in disarray.” He saw blood throughout the home, damage to the walls, a tipped-over water dispenser and water all over the kitchen floor.
The child found Garcia lying on the floor of the master bedroom. “He described her as awake but unable to speak, groaning in pain and suffering from severe facial injuries,” says the statement of facts. “He stated her eyes were swollen, her face appeared inflamed and she was unrecognizable.”
Throughout the night, the child saw his mother repeatedly lose and regain consciousness, authorities said. She was unable to stand without assistance. The child tried to help her after she fell to the floor near a television that had been pushed or thrown onto the floor.
During an interview with a detective, another child said he became scared during the violence and hid underneath a bed, according to the DA’s office. The child added that he saw blood on Lopez and later saw his father leave to take Garcia to the hospital.
Investigators determined that Lopez had assaulted the child and mother, resulting in Garcia’s death, authorities said.
A criminal complaint filed by the DA’s office states that Lopez committed the crimes with “great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness and callousness.”
A fundraising page for Garcia, formed by Jorge Garcia and the woman’s family, says she was born and raised in Salinas and left behind two sons and a daughter.
“Her children were her world, and the love she had for them was immeasurable. They were a huge part of who she was and her greatest joy was being their mom,” says the campaign on the Gofundme website.
“She had a beautiful way of bringing light, laughter and joy wherever she went,” says the web page. “The love and happiness she gave to the people around her are impossible to put into words. She was a beloved daughter, a proud daddy’s girl, a sister to one but truly a sister to so many.”
The site has raised more than $38,000 as of Oct. 12. The funds will go toward Garcia’s children “and helping provide for their needs as they navigate life without their mother,” says the website.
