Christie Lynn Wilson Missing Since 10/5/05 Lincoln, CA

[Pauli]

Endangered Missing Adult


If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact:
Placer County Sheriff's Department at (530) 889-7800
http://www.theyaremissed.org/gallery/photos/A200604602S_4845.jpg Name:Christie Lynn Wilson
Classification:Endangered Missing Adult Date of Birth:1978-01-10 Date Missing:2005-10-05 From City/State:Lincoln, CA Missing From (Country):USA Age at Time of Disappearance:27 Gender:Female Race:White Height:64 inches Weight:140 pounds Hair Color:Lt. Brown Eye Color:Brown Complexion:Medium Glasses/Contacts Description:Clear contacts. Identifying Characteristics:Mole on back, three staple size surgical scars on left leg below knee, double pierced ears. Clothing:Black crew neck silky type shirt with 3/4 length sleeves, blue jeans, open toed wedged sandals with approximately a 4" heel, carrying a small black rectangular purse with black shoulder strap. Jewelry:Small hoop earrings, two toned gold and silver watch. Circumstances of Disappearance:Unknown. Christie was last seen at approximately 1:15am at a casino in the vicinity of the 1200 block of Athens Rd. in Lincoln, CA. She was seen walking out of the casino along with a 53 year old male individual who drove a light gray Toyota Camry. Christie's vehicle was found in the casino parking lot. She is missing under suspicious circumstances. Investigative Agency:Placer County Sheriff's Department Phone:(530) 889-7800 Investigative Case #:SO-05-14745

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[Pauli]

Christie Wilson 27, Sacramento CA
Woman missing after casino trip

Posted: October 11, 2005

The Placer County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help in locating a 27-year-old woman whose car was found abandoned at the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln.

Sheriff's officials report Sacramento resident Christie Wilson was last seen by her boyfriend, Daniel Burlando, 30, of Sacramento, at 5 p.m. Oct. 4 when he left to go to his father's house for dinner.

Later that evening, Wilson reportedly left Burlando a phone message stating she was going to the casino. Burlando did not grow concerned when she didn't come home that night, since she has stayed out all night in the past, officials report.

But by Oct. 6 Burlando grew concerned when his girlfriend never materialized, officials say.

Burlando reportedly notified the Sacramento Police Department, who confirmed Wilson as a missing person.

Wilson is described as a 5-foot, 4-inch tall white female, weighing around 150 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Placer County Sheriff's Department detectives are working with Sacramento authorities and ask anyone with information to contact Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Bob McDonald at (530) 889-7852 or the Sacramento Police Department at (916) 433-0650

Photo at link:

http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005...s/08missing.txt (http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/top_stories/08missing.txt)

[Pauli]

Christie Wilson, who now lives in Sacramento, was last seen on surveillance cameras at Thunder Valley walking around the casino and leaving with a 53-year-old man.
But she never made it to her car and has not been seen or heard from since those early hours of Oct. 4

"Her car is really highlighted well on the tape," her stepfather Pat Boyd, a San Jose police detective, told KTVU Wednesday. "She never made it to her car."

Authorities said Wilson, 27, was clearly seen several times on the tapes in the casino interacting with the unidentified man, who they are calling a 'person of interest.'

"They went from table to table," Placer County Sheriff's Lt. George Malim said of the tape. "They spent some time together going table to table and we see them walk around…and then walk out of the casino to the parking lot…The fact we see her walk into the parking lot with the man gives us great concern."

Malim said Wilson's silver BMW was about 200 yards from the man's vehicle.

Wilson's mother said police have told them there is evidence pointing to the man.

"They have some circumstantial evidence, but not enough to pinpoint him," she said.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/5089915/detail.html (http://www.ktvu.com/news/5089915/detail.html)

[Pauli]

Placer County sheriff's investigators said a "person of interest" in the week-old disappearance of Sacramento woman at a Lincoln casino is no longer cooperating with detectives.

Investigators said the 53-year-old man was captured on Thunder Valley Casino surveillance tape as he left the casino with Christie Wilson, 27 at 1:15 a.m, October 5. That was the last time anyone has seen Wilson.

Investigators also said the man has not been able or willing to explain how he obtained a black eye. Detectives have not released the man's identity but have said he is a Placer County resident and is married.

Investigators also urged anyone who left the casino about the same time as the man and Wilson to contact them.

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13645 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13645)

[Pauli]

Investigators Search Home in Case of Missing Woman

Sheriff's detectives have served a search warrant at the home of a man considered a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a 27-year-old Sacramento woman last seen leaving a Lincoln casino with him last week.

A spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff's Department said items were seized from the 53-year-old man's home, but would not elaborate on what they were.

Also today, investigators are interviewing Thunder Valley Casino employees and a customer who may have had contact with Christie Wilson, the missing woman.

Story continued at link:

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13661 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13661)

[Pauli]

"Person of Interest" Arrested on weapons charges

Updated: 10/15/2005

A 53-year-old man who is a "person of interest" in the disappearance of 27-year-old Christie Wilson was arrested Friday evening on weapons charges.

The Placer County Sheriff's Department confirmed today that the arrest was made at about 5:15 p.m. yesterday near the man's home. He was booked on two felony counts of illegal weapons possession. The charges stem from a search of the man's home conducted as part of the investigation into Wilson's disappearance.

According to the sheriff's department, bail for the man has been set at $1 million. The high amount is reportedly due to the suspect's past criminal history and concerns that he might be a flight risk.

Continued:

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13683 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13683)

[Pauli]

http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/jailreports/incustbookingdetails_G.htm#P00
159379 (http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/jailreports/incustbookingdetails_G.htm#P00159379)


He is already a felon and obviously his priors are VERY serious!!! A million
dollar bail per charge-WOW!!!

Name: Garcia, Mario Flabio
Age/Gender: 52/Male
Jail ID/Booking No: P00159379/0511071#
Facility/Floor: PC/R
Book Date: 10/14/2005 19:56
Arresting Agency: Placer County Sheriffs Department
Custody Status: In Custody
Authority: Charge(s): Bail:
Arrest Made By Peace Officer 1. 12020 (A)(1)PC Manufactur/sell/poss
$1,000,000
Arrest Made By Peace Officer 2. 12021 (A)(1)PC Felon/addict Possess $
Total Bail: $1,000,000.00

[Pauli]

Man Last Seen With Christie Wilson In Court
Oct 18, 2005 1:36 pm US/Pacific


(CBS 13) AUBURN Several new developments in the case of a missing woman last seen at the Thunder Valley Casino in Placer County. The Auburn man who authorities consider a "person of interest" in the disappearance of the 27-year-old woman has made his first court appearance. And a new witness who saw the two together has come forward.

Family and friends were in court today for Garcia's arraignment. Wilson's mother told CBS 13's Tony Lopez she was in court because she "just had to look at him." When asked why she thought Garcia was involved with her daughter's disappearance, she said, "Mother's intuition, mother's intuition is never wrong."

Also on Tuesday, a man who may have seen Garcia and Wilson together at Thunder Valley Casino has come forward. The Placer County Sheriff's department is questioning the man about what he saw and heard that night as he gambled.

He is just one of three people detectives had hoped would come forward in the case. Yesterday, they released descriptions of three people who were seen on surveillance video gambling at or near the same as Wilson and Garcia.


More: http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_291174042.html (http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_291174042.html)

[Pauli]

Hair Found in Car Matches Missing Woman's

Updated: 10/24/2005
by C. Johnson

The Placer County Sheriff's Department is now treating the disappearance of Christie Wilson as a homicide case and the man considered a "person of interest" in the investigation is a suspect.

Mario Flavio Garcia, 53, is in jail on unrelated weapons charges. He was in court today asking for bail reduction but the judge denied it.

An analysis of hair found in Garcia's car has been confirmed to be a match with Wilson's hair.

Placer County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. George Malim said DNA analysis confirmed the finding.

The hair was found in Garcia's white Toyota. Garcia was the last person seen with the 27-year-old Wilson. The two were captured on surveillance tape leaving Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln on October 5 at 1:15 a.m.

Garcia has told investigators that Wilson went back inside the casino to retrieve her cell phone and he left the parking lot alone. Surveillance video does not show Wilson going back into the casino and there was no tape of the parking lot.

Garcia has pleaded not guilty to two counts of illegal weapons possession. He is in Placer County Jail on $1 million bond. The high amount is reportedly due to Garcia's criminal history, concerns that he might be a flight risk and because he is a suspect in the Wilson case.

Garcia is scheduled to appear in court next week for a preliminary hearing on the weapons charges.

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13857 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13857)

[Pauli]

Mario Garcia was charged with suspicion of murder of Christie Wilson Friday morning.

Mario F. Garcia, 53, was charged with suspicion of murder Friday morning in connection with the disappearance of 27-year-old Christie Wilson, according to his attorney.

"I can only assume the evidence exceeds beyond a reasonable doubt in order to have a charge of murder," said Garcia's attorney Ron Peters. "They better have a case that's ironclad."

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence links Garcia, who remains in custody at the Placer County Jail on $1 million bail for weapons charges, to Wilson's disappearance.

Wilson, of Sacramento, was last seen on video surveillance tapes leaving the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln around 1 a.m. Oct. 5 with Garcia. She hasn't been heard from since. Although after extensive searches no body has been located, investigators say they are certain Wilson was killed.

Officials declared the case a homicide earlier this week and named Garcia as the prime suspect.

"A case like this should not be filed unless the evidence is well beyond the reasonable doubt and irrefutable," Peters said.

DNA results confirm that a hair taken from Garcia's white Toyota Camry belonged to Wilson, said Lt. George Malim, spokesman for the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Additionally, trace evidence from Garcia's trunk has been sent to the Department of Justice crime lab in Sacramento and another hair that could belong to Wilson was located in the Garcia home.

Results are expected to be returned to the Placer County Sheriff's Department soon.

Pat Boyd, Wilson's stepfather and a San Jose detective, has said there is evidence that the missing woman was in Garcia's car.

Garcia was arrested Oct. 14 on weapons charges. Garcia is scheduled to return to court Oct. 31 for a trial confirming conference. A preliminary hearing is expected to begin Nov. 1 on the weapons charges, however all that could change in light of the new murder charge.

http://www.auburnjournal.com/article.../01charged.txt (http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/10/28/news/top_stories/01charged.txt)

[Pauli]

Mario F. Garcia, 53, was arrested for suspicion of murder Friday morning in connection with the disappearance of 27-year-old Christie Wilson, according to his attorney.

"I can only assume the evidence exceeds beyond a reasonable doubt in order to have a charge of murder," said Garcia's attorney Ron Peters. "They better have a case that's ironclad."

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence links Garcia, who is now being held without bail
http://www.auburnjournal.com/article.../01charged.txt (http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/10/28/news/top_stories/01charged.txt)

[Pauli]

Reward Increases for Information About Wilson

Placer County Crimestoppers is now offering $35,000 for information that leads to her recovery. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-923-8191. Callers can remain anonymous.

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=14039 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=14039)

[Pauli]

Prosecutors tried to establish in court Friday that Auburn resident Mario Flavio Garcia, accused of murdering a woman who has been missing since Oct. 5, lied about how he got a black eye and scratches and bruises on his arms and chest.
Garcia, 53, sought treatment for the injuries Oct. 6 at an Auburn medical clinic and told a physician he had had received them falling from a tree while trimming branches on his property and also had contracted poison oak, a Placer County sheriff's detective testified.

When investigators searched Garcia's rural property on Oct. 11, they found two areas with poison oak but were unable to find evidence of recently cut or broken tree limbs or find where Garcia may have fallen, said Detective Bill Summers.

While detectives were testifying Friday, the Sheriff's Department embarked on a new search for Wilson's body - this time in woods and steep terrain in the Dutch Flat area of Placer County. The old mining area is known as "The Diggings."

D'Arcy said the probe was touched off by "new information on a potential burial site" received by his department.

Lt. George Malim said in a press release that the tip was received about 7 p.m. Thursday.

"The information provided was specific enough that detectives believed it was credible," Malim said.

Nothing was found in Friday's effort from early morning to 4 p.m., but searchers will continue to comb the area today, he said.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...14768429c.html (http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13931626p-14768429c.html)

[Pauli]

Change of Venue Granted For Mario Garcia Murder Trial

Attorneys for accused killer Mario Garcia have succeeded in securing a change of venue for their client's upcoming murder trial in connection with the October disappearance of Christie Wilson.

Judge Robert McElhany granted the request Thursday in Placer County, approving a move of the trial to Sacramento County. McElhany cited extensive media coverage of the case as the reason for his decision. While news accounts of Wilson's disappearance are relatively equal between Placer and Sacramento counties, Sacramento's larger jury pool allowed a greater potential for an unbiased jury, according to McElhany.
http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=15301 (http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=15301)

Trial of Auburn man in missing woman case moves to Sacramento County

The trial for Mario Flavio Garcia, the Auburn man charged with murdering a woman whose body has never been found, is moving to Sacramento County.
Lawyers for Garcia and the prosecution agreed to the change of venue Thursday in Placer Superior Court. Judge Robert McElhany granted the motion and set the trial date for April 24 in Sacramento County.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...14895687c.html (http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14064878p-14895687c.html)

[Pauli]

Mario Garcia was sentenced to 59 years to life Thursday in the killing of Christie Wilson.

http://www.kcra.com/news/10725240/detail.html (http://www.kcra.com/news/10725240/detail.html)


Christie still has not been found :1222423:

[Nut44x4]

San Jose Mercury News (California)
April 12, 2008 Saturday

BRIEF: TV show to profile missing woman

Apr. 12--The disappearance and murder of former San Jose resident Christie Wilson will be featured on TruTV's "Missing Persons Unit" tonight.

Mario Garcia, 54, of Auburn was convicted in November of killing the 27-year-old Sacramento woman after the two left a Placer County casino in October 2005. Wilson's body was never found.

Garcia, who had lived in Fremont and Hayward, was accused of killing Wilson after hair and blood found in his car matched Wilson's.

Wilson had been living in Sacramento but was in the process of moving back to the Bay Area when she was killed.

Her mother, Debbie Boyd, said she and her husband, Pat, a sergeant with the San Jose Police Department, still hope their daughter's body will be found. Until then, "the pain is there every day," Debbie Boyd said.

The show is scheduled to air in the Bay Area at 10:30 p.m. on TruTV, formerly Court TV. For more information on the case, see www.findchristiewilson.com.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:774672929&start=2

[Nut44x4]

10/20/08

Search Resumes for Body of Christie Wilson

NEVADA COUNTY, CA - More than three years after 27-year-old Christie Wilson went missing following an evening at Thunder Valley Casino, investigators were investigating a new lead on her whereabouts Sunday morning and afternoon.

For the second time since Wilson's disappearance, search teams went to Scott's Flat Lake looking for her remains. But unlike their first attempt soon after Wilson went missing, the water level was much lower Sunday. Residents in the area say it is lower than at any point in the last decade.

It was hoped that the change in circumstances would help search teams find what they were looking for. Around 9 a.m., five cadaver dogs began scouring the shoreline, trying to pick up a scent.

Wilson's mother, Debbie Boyd was there, caught somewhere between hope and reality.

"I've prepared myself for more disappointment," said Boyd. "And I've also tried to prepare myself should they find something. I've gotta be prepared to know how to handle that."

To this point, she and her husband Pat have watched every search for their daughter come up empty.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't on pins and needles, hoping they'd find something today," said Wilson's stepfather Pat Boyd.

"This is probably the 20th time we've heard about a body, body parts or a strong lead somewhere. Each time our hopes were sky-high."

Wilson's convicted killer, Mario Garcia, was known to spend time at Scotts Flat Lake, and cell phone records indicate he was in this area the night she went missing.

During a routine cadaver dog training excercise this summer, several of the dogs picked up the same scent in the same area. With the water at a much lower level, it was time to search again.

"We've been going through this now for three years," said Debbie Boyd. "It's a heck of a way to have to live, and it's really hard as a mom to be searching for your daughter for three years."

However, Sunday would not bring any closure. At 4 p.m. the search ended. The Placer County Sheriff's Department says the dogs didn't find any evidence of Wilson's remains.

Garcia is currently serving a 59-year to life sentence for Wilson's murder. He was sentenced in January 2007 and is serving his term at the prison in Susanville.

The Auburn man was the first person ever in Placer County to be convicted of murder without a body. He continues to plead his innocence.

At the time of his sentencing, Garcia offered no clue as to where he dumped Wilson's body.

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=49384
Video at site

[annalyzer]

She must be still missing.

[sarahhod]

C.A. Upholds Conviction for Murder in Case With No Body

By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer

The Third District Court of Appeal has upheld a first degree murder conviction in the death of a woman who was last seen alive leaving a Northern California casino with the defendant.
Justice Tami Cantil-Sakauye, writing for the court, said there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to convict Mario Flavio Garcia of the murder of Christie Wilson, and that he was not prejudiced by the admission of evidence that he was uncooperative with police.
The opinion was filed Feb. 25 and certified Wednesday for partial publication.
Wilson, 27, disappeared from the Thunder Valley Casino near Lincoln in PlacerCounty in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2005. Casino cameras showed Garcia and Wilson gambling together on the night of Oct. 4, and detectives linked Garcia to the murder through hair follicles with Wilson’s DNA found in and on his car, as well as tiny blood spots matching Wilson’s DNA on one of the seats.
Sgt. Robert McDonald of the Placer County Sheriff’s Dept. identified Garcia as the man who was with Wilson through Garcia’s casino player’s card. He testified that when he went to Garcia’s residence in Auburn and told Garcia that he was investigating a missing person’s case, Garcia nervously explained that he did not want his wife to know he had been gambling and lost a great deal of money.
Garcia acknowledged having met Wilson, McDonald said, but claimed it was coincidence that they left at the same time, and that Wilson had gone back to the casino to retrieve her cell phone. Because casino tapes did not show Wilson returning, McDonald asked Garcia to come in and give a statement.
The detective told Garcia he was a suspect, but not under arrest and was free to leave at any time.
Elaborating on his previous statement, Garcia said that he and Wilson were both drunk, and both losing badly; she talked about her problems with her boyfriend; and borrowed some money from him when hers ran out.
He continued to insist that he went home alone and had nothing to do with Wilson’s disappearance. When the detective noted that he had a small black eye and asked to take a photo, Garcia refused and ended the interview; McDonald said he then attempted to take the photo anyway, but Garcia held his hands up in front of the camera lens.
Garcia, testifying in his own defense, said that Wilson was never in his car, and that he had no idea how her hair or DNA got into the vehicle. He acknowledged washing the car and taking garbage to the local dump shortly after he spoke to McDonald, but said he did so as part of his normal routine.
The bruises he displayed after Wilson’s disappearance came in a fall from a tree, not a fight with Wilson—who had been trained to defend herself by her stepfather, a San Jose police veteran—or anyone else, Garcia said. He also disputed testimony that there had recently been a carpet or rug in the trunk of his car.
A defense witness testified that he met a drunken woman about 20-30 miles from the casino on the night of Oct. 5, and that—although he could not pick Wilson out of a photographic lineup—he had seen a picture of her on the Internet and was 70 to 75 percent sure that she was the woman he met.
Jurors found Garcia guilty of first degree murder and of possessing a deadly weapon—a collapsible baton found in his car when it was searched pursuant to a warrant. His sentence was doubled, and he received a five-year enhancement due to a prior conviction for a violent felony, an assault on a former girlfriend.
The aggregate sentence was 59 years to life in prison.
In the published portion of her opinion, Cantil-Sakauye said that Garcia’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights were violated by the admission of evidence that he had refused to be photographed.
“We agree with trial counsel that when defendant ended the interview, he was asserting various constitutional rights: to not be detained, to not incriminate himself, and to have the assistance of counsel,” the justice wrote. Admitting evidence that the defendant insisted on those rights, Cantil-Sakauye wrote, was constitutional error requiring reversal unless harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
The justice went on to say, however, that the evidence was harmless under that standard. The evidence, she said, merely bolstered the prosecution’s “powerful” and “overwhelming” case that Garcia had exhibited consciousness of guilt.
She explained:
“Defendant had suspicious injuries for which he offered differing explanations. He was growing a beard, perhaps to hide his injuries. His attendance at work was erratic despite the critical stage of his important project. He was extremely nervous when McDonald first contacted him. He took an alternate route home from the casino, but failed to tell the police about it. He was reluctant to point out the car he drove that night. When asked about the clothes he wore that night, he immediately said they were at the cleaners. He made a series of Google searches relating to forensics, date rape drugs and privileges. This evidence, combined with the medical evidence contradicting defendant’s explanations of his injuries, and the forensic evidence that placed Wilson in the back seat and trunk of his car and indicated a violent struggle, was considerable evidence of defendant’s guilt. The addition of his refusal to be photographed and tocontinue the interview added little to the prosecution’s case.”
In an unpublished portion of the opinion, the justice rejected the argument that there was insufficient evidence to prove first degree murder, on either a premeditation or kidnap-murder theory.
The casino tapes, she explained, showed the defendant steering Wilson towards his car and her appearing to resist, adding that evidence to the hair found in the car suggested that substantial force was used to get her into the car and keep her from leaving. “As such, she is an improbable companion looking forward to further evening activities with defendant,” the justice wrote.
Given that she was never seen again, that her car remained in the parking lot, and that her DNA and blood were found in the car so as to suggest that she was killed during a fight, it was reasonable for jurors to conclude that she was kidnapped, Cantil-Sakauye reasoned.
The justice went on to explain that where the prosecution argues multiple theories of first degree murder, and the evidence is sufficient to support at least one such theory, the conviction is not subject to reversal for insufficiency of the evidence unless the defense shows that the jury relied on a theory as to which the evidence was insufficient.
Since the prosecution argued that felony-murder was the stronger theory and presented “ample” evidence to support it, the justice said, it is unlikely the jury relied solely on premeditation in finding the murder to be of the first degree, and thus was unnecessary for the court to determine whether there was sufficient evidence of premeditation.
The case is People v. Garcia, 09 S.O.S. 1535.

http://www.metnews.com/articles/2009/garc031609.htm

[Nut44x4]

48 Hours is airing this now.

[SavannahStar]

Oh gosh I remember this case.....

[Faith]

http://www.findchristiewilson.com/images/Christie-Home-Page-Story.gif

http://www.findchristiewilson.com/

[Nut44x4]

State Supreme Court declines review of Garcia case
6/16/09
The California Supreme Court has denied a petition by convicted murderer Mario Flavio Garcia to have his trial reviewed.

Garcia filed the petition in April following a Feb. 25 decision in which the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed his conviction of first-degree murder in the 2005 slaying and disappearance of Christie Wilson following a night of drinking and gambling at the Thunder Valley Casino in Placer County.

The state Supreme Court denied the petition June 10 and also ordered that the opinion of the appeal court be a non-published one, meaning it cannot be cited as legal precedent.

Garcia, 56, a former Auburn resident, is currently serving a state prison sentence of 59 years to life.

His appellate attorney contended that Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis, who presided over the murder trial in 2006, committed errors in admitting evidence, giving instructions to the jurors and in allowing the jury verdict to stand.

The defendant’s attorney asserted that the evidence may have only been sufficient to support a conviction for involuntary manslaughter.

A three-member panel of judges in the appeal court disagreed.

“There was sufficient evidence of first-degree murder on a felony murder theory predicated on kidnapping,” the appeal court judges wrote.

Wilson, 27, who resided in Sacramento, was last seen at 1:13 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2005. Videotape from a surveillance camera at the casino showed her walking into the parking lot with Garcia and toward the defendant’s car.

The appeal court judges noted that the videotape showed her pulling away from Garcia on two occasions as he tried to take her by the arm or to put his arm around her, indicating she wanted no further activity with the defendant.

Wilson was never seen again and her own car remained in the casino parking lot for days until her boyfriend looked for it and found it.

A hair consistent with Wilson’s hair was found wedged in the door handle of Garcia’s car, the appeal court judges noted.

“It required force to dislodge the hair from her head and (required) force to embed it in the exterior door handle,” the judges wrote.

Evidence indicated that Wilson tried to fight off Garcia before she was subdued. Scratches and bruises were on Garcia’s face and body after Wilson’s disappearance. Tiny spots of blood containing a mixture of DNA consistent with that of Garcia and Wilson were found in his car.

“During the fight, (the) defendant killed Wilson,” the appeal court judges wrote. “He then disposed of her body in an unknown location.”

Placer County Deputy District Attorney Garen Horst, who prosecuted Garcia, praised the California Attorney General’s Office and Deputy Attorney General Robert Gezi for their handling of the matter at the state appeal level.

“I appreciate their commitment to the case and to justice being served,” Horst said.

The body of Christie Wilson remains missing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Department at (530) 889-7800 or the Placer County District Attorney’s Office at (916) 543-8000.

http://auburnjournal.com/detail/116938.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=

[Nut44x4]

Probable ID confirmed on bones found by hikers
9/1/09

Ever since a human skeleton was discovered north of Nevada City a month ago, locals have been left to wait and wonder whose body was uncovered. Theories have ranged from Christie Wilson to Isaiah Marsh to Lilly Wind.

For some, that wait is over. Nevada County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Tripp confirmed Tuesday the bones are not those of Wilson, Marsh or Wind.

He said the bones have been identified, although they are awaiting DNA confirmation. Although he was not more specific, he said the skeleton was that of a woman between the ages of 20 and 40.

For more of the story, read Wednesday's edition of The Union.

http://www.theunion.com/article/20090901/BREAKINGNEWS/909019987/1007/NONE&parentprofile=1053

[Nut44x4]

ID on above remains

The body is that of Jennifer Lynn O'Brien, who was reported missing in December 2005
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100115/NEWS/100119842/1066/rss