The county of Gooding (KIVI TV) A guilty plea has been entered by one of the two adolescents from Gooding County who are charged with the murder of 18-year-old Dax Richins in 2024.
According to court documents, 17-year-old Alexander Garcia entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder on Tuesday, July 22. The accusations of failing to notify of a death and destroying evidence were dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Prosecutors in Gooding County claim that Garcia and 15-year-old Rolan Delacruz organized and executed Richins’ fatal beating and stabbing in June. In September, his body was found in a shallow grave.
Using search warrants that allowed investigators to access the suspects’ Snapchat accounts, Gooding County detectives developed their case against the suspects. Garcia allegedly said in those video conversations that he had to physically damage a human skull before messaging a pal, “I killed sum1.”
Although prosecutors told us in December that the two suspects will face adult trials, Idaho News Six normally does not name minors accused of crimes in this case.
Garcia’s sentencing is set for Tuesday, October 7 at 3 p.m. Delacruz is charged with the same murder but entered a not guilty plea in April. His pretrial is set for Tuesday, August 5, and the jury trial will start on Tuesday, September 2.
