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Accused Deputy Killer Appears in Court

January 11, 2007, 8:47 PM PST

The man accused of fatally shooting a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy during an April 2002 traffic stop in Irwindale made his first court appearance today as the victim's family watched.

Jorge Arroyo Garcia, 30, is charged with murdering Deputy David March, along with the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer engaged in the performance of his duties and murder for the purpose of avoiding arrest.

Garcia, who was turned over by Mexican officials to U.S. law enforcement authorities on Tuesday, faces a possible life sentence without the possibility of parole since prosecutors can't seek the death penalty under an extradition treaty signed with Mexico in 1978.

March's father John and widow Teri were in court as Judge Charles Horan appointed Grady Russell to be Garcia's public defender.

Russell asked for the arraignment to be delayed as Garcia, wearing Orange County jail clothes and March's old handcuffs, listened to the proceedings with the aid of a Spanish interpreter. He remains in jail without bail.

"We were in there and we saw a guy, sub-human," John March said. "It was a strange feeling, really. I didn't think anything when I saw him. It was like seeing something that wasn't human, a person without a soul."

Sheriff Lee Baca had requested that Garcia be made to wear March's handcuffs, which John Marsh said he thought was appropriate.

"Dave pulled him over and if he had known, or when he would have found out who he was, he would have arrested him because there were warrants out on him, and this was kind of a completion of Dave's arrest," he said.

He also said he has often though what he would say to the defendant.

"I think what I would say to him is that you are meaningless, your life is meaningless and you're an embarrassment to your family and to God," he said.

Teri March said she was pleased that justice is being served.

"Today was a beginning of some measure of justice," she said. "He doesn't really matter to us. What matters is that he's put away. Unfortunately, he doesn't get the death penalty, but he's going to get life in prison if he's found guilty."

Pointing to her head, she said, "he's been here for a long time. The only difference is he wasn't on paper now. He was living and breathing and he didn't look as intimidating as I thought. He actually looks scared."

Although Garcia does not face the death penalty, she said she was glad Garcia was in custody.

"We obviously had to compromise because (Garcia) fled to his native land of Mexico," she said. "But it is definitely better than what we had for four and a half years, which was nothing ... He knows what he's done and he's going to pay."

Prosecutor Darren Levine told reporters that Garcia will be prosecuted "to bring him to justice for the senseless act he committed."

"We finally have the killer of David March in custody in the United States," he said. "Today is the start of bringing a cop killer (to justice), someone who took the life of one of society's protectors, someone who was charged with protecting all of us."

Along with the murder charge, Garcia is accused of two counts of attempted murder stemming from shootings on Nov. 18, 2001, and Feb. 16, 2002, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Garcia -- also known as Armando Garcia and "Chato" -- is accused of killing March after the deputy pulled over a black Nissan Maxima near Live Oak Avenue and Peck Road in the city of Irwindale during a traffic stop about 10:30 a.m. April 29, 2002.

The car the killer had been driving was found two days later by Baldwin Park police, but Garcia fled to Mexico, authorities said.

Garcia, who was considered one of the U.S. Marshals Service's 10 most- wanted fugitives and was profiled several times on the TV show "America's Most Wanted," was arrested in Tonala, Jalisco, Mexico, on Feb. 23, 2006.

He was handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service at the San Ysidro border about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday and taken by van to Orange County Jail for booking, Sheriff Lee Baca said when he announced the extradition.

The sheriff said he does not want Garcia to be housed in a Los Angeles County jail in case he were to "make some false accusation that somehow we were not treating him in the best way possible."

In a statement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commended Mexican authorities "for doing the right thing and turning Mr. Garcia over to the Los Angeles District Attorney..."

"We need swift justice for this horrible crime against one of California's finest officers," he said.