Convicted 'Creighton killer' Dr. Anthony Garcia gets the death sentence

To no one's surprise, the pronouncement was 'death' by the Nebraska 3-judge panel

A three-judge panel today sentenced convicted quadruple murderer, Dr. Anthony Garcia, to death for his actions in the killings of Thomas Hunter, 11, and the family housekeeper Shirlee Sherman, 57, in March 2008 and Dr. Roger Brumback and his wife Mary, both 65, in May 2013.

  

The hangman awaits Dr. Anthony Garcia as a 3-judge panel today recommended
the death sentence for the convicted and now condemned quadruple murderer

Both sets of double murders, which took place a little more than five years apart in the quiet heartland town of Omaha, NE, were thought to be motivated by Dr. Garcia's festering desire for revenge after he was unceremoniously fired from the Creighton University Medical School in 2001.

Garcia was fired from the Creighton University pathology residency training program back in the summer of 2001 by the two then-heads of the pathology department, Drs. William Hunter (the residency director) and Roger Brumback (the department chairman) for what was characterized as unprofessional conduct.

Prosecutors from the Douglas County Attorney's Office contend that Garcia held a simmering and fomenting grudge against Drs. Hunter and Brumback for smearing his professional reputation with a devastating and stigmatic firing which stuck with the troubled doctor throughout his medical career.

Defense argues Dr. Anthony Garcia should be spared the death penalty because of severe mental illness and 'profound burden of failure' in death penalty sentencing hearing

Douglas County Sheriff's deputies wheel in Anthony Garcia, who doesn't
seem to be faking having mental illness, for his death penalty hearing

The much-anticipated and long-delayed death penalty phase for convicted "Creighton killer" Dr. Anthony Garcia finally began Wednesday morning to determine whether he will get the death penalty or spend the rest of his natural life in prison.

Garcia was convicted for two sets of double murders last October with aggravating circumstances that qualified for death penalty consideration under Nebraska law.

In 2008, he broke into the Dundee home of his former boss, then Creighton University Medical Center pathology residency director Dr. William Hunter, and stabbed to death Dr. Hunter's 11-year-old son, Thomas, and the family's housekeeper, Shirlee Sherman, while Dr. Hunter was still at work.

Then in 2013 five years later, he broke into his other former boss' home, then Creighton University Medical Center pathology department chairman Dr. Roger Brumback, and stabbed to death Dr. Brumback and his wife Mary.

All four murders were thought to be motivated by revenge for Dr. Garcia's dismissal from the Creighton University Medical Center pathology residency program back in 2001.

Death penalty hearing for Anthony Garcia delayed again until May

Yet another delay in the death penalty phase of the Anthony Garcia murder trial

The death penalty hearing for convicted murderer, Dr. Anthony Garcia, has been delayed yet again.

Dr. Garcia's new legal counsel, the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, asked for the delay because of difficulty in getting files on Garcia's mental health records from his former attorneys, Robert Motta Sr. and Robert Motta Jr. of Chicago.

The three-judge panel hearing on whether Dr. Garcia would face the death penalty for his crimes was originally set for March 12th, but now has been rescheduled for May 30 to June 1 by Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall.

At a hearing on Tuesday, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine objected to the delay, saying the case has dragged on way too long.

As Anthony Garcia's quadruple murder case is featured on another TV show, Judge dismisses Garcia's motion against the death penalty

What's been happening on Medicine of Omaha's Wild Medicine?

A lot of you have been wondering what's been happening of late on Medicine of Omaha's Wild Medicine.

Apparently, there's been a news blackout on medicine-related stories by the Omaha press because we've been stealing so much of their thunder with scandals about the medical profession in the Omaha area.

For instance in the past, the Omaha World-Herald unsuccessfully lodged a copyright complaint against us for thumb-nailing one of their photos, which is legal to do since it's on their servers. Those kinds of false copyright DMCA claims went nowhere.

But this week, another national television show—this time a cable outlet called Investigation Discovery (ID)—has aired yet another crime documentary of the events of the Anthony Garcia quadruple murder case, breaking the news blackout. The show, episode 4 of James Patternson's Murder is Forever entitled, "Murder on the Run," aired Monday night at 9 p.m. on ID. (Click here to see a link to the video of the show.)

Death penalty hearing for Dr. Anthony Garcia in complete chaos and delayed until March because trial Judge decided to replace his lawyers during the sentencing phase

Dr. Anthony Garcia's death penalty sentencing hearing has been delayed again

On Thursday, a three-judge panel set to hold the death sentencing hearing for convicted quadruple-murderer, Dr. Anthony Garcia, at the end of this month has pushed back the two-day hearing to March 12 at the request of Dr. Garcia's new defense attorneys, who said they need more time to prepare.

Garcia's previous counsel, Robert Motta Sr. and Jr., were forced to withdrew from the case on August 31 due to a lack of funds, when the very judge presiding over the murder trial, Douglas County District Court Judge Gary Randall, threw the murder case in complete chaos by appointing the Nebraska Public Advocacy Commission, the state's public defenders, out of the blue to represent the defendant late in the death penalty phase of the trial, when the defendant was already represented by counsel of his own choosing.

Anthony Garcia's Chicago-based lawyers ask to be removed from the 'Creighton killer' case

Dr. Anthony Garcia's attorneys, Robert Motta Sr. (center) and Robert Motta Jr.
(right), have withdrawn from the sentencing phase of the murder trial

UPDATE 8/31/16:

As expected, the attorneys who defended the Creighton Killer will no longer represent him during the death penalty phase of the trial.

Douglas Co. District Court Judge Gary Randall grants a motion by Bob Motta Jr. and Bob Motta Sr. to withdraw as attorneys for Garcia due to a lack of funds.

The Nebraska Public Advocacy Commission will take over as Dr. Garcia's legal counsel during the death penalty phase of the trial which is set to begin November 30.

Creighton University Medical Center closes its doors for good

Creighton University Medical Center shuttered its doors for good on Friday morning

The old Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) formerly known as St. Joseph Hospital, at 601 North 30th Street near the Creighton University campus officially shut its doors for good yesterday on Friday June 9, 2017, at 7 a.m.

Out with the old, in with the new: CHI Bergan Mercy Medical Center will take
over all of CUMC's responsibilities as a Level-1 Trauma Center and academic
medical center for the Creighton University School of Medicine

At the same time, two new medical centers run by CHI Health and the Creighton University School of Medicine will open, ensuring what is hoped to be a smooth transition and seemless continuity of care for CUMC patients.

A smaller, scaled-down CHI Health University Campus at 2412 Cuming Street will serve as a community health center and ER six blocks away from the old CUMC facilities, while a full service Level-1 Trauma center at Bergan Mercy Medical Center nine miles away will serve as the new academic medical center for Creighton University's School of Medicine.

The outdated facilities of the old CUMC buildings first opened its doors back in December 18, 1977, nearly forty years ago, as St. Joseph Hospital on 30th and Cuming Streets and was redubbed as Creighton University Medical Center in 2002 when it officially became the academic medical center for Creighton University's School of Medicine.

CBS News '48 Hours' features Dr. Anthony Garcia's quadruple murder case

Yesterday, CBS's "48 Hours: Resident Evil" featured the story of the two double murders in Omaha, Nebraska committed out of revenge by Dr. Anthony Garcia, which has infamously come to be known nationwide as the "Creighton killings."

Garcia was convicted last October of the two sets of double murders, involving ties back to his old medical residency program at Creighton University, and now awaits a hearing by a three-judge panel to determine if he will face the death penalty for his crimes.

Dr. Anthony Garcia ruled to be competent for death penalty sentencing, but court then grants defense a last minute postponement

Judge Gary Randall agreed again to delay Dr. Garcia's sentencing today

UPDATE: March 30, 2017

In a surprise, eleventh hour move today, Judge Gary Randall granted the defense a postponement of Dr. Anthony Garcia's death penalty hearing after Dr. Garcia's attorneys filed an emergency motion to discuss Anthony Garcia's mental competency.

Garcia's death penalty phase of his sentencing was to be heard by a three-judge panel today; however, Garcia's attorneys filed a last-minute emergency motion on Wednesday evening, arguing they needed more time to explore Dr. Garcia's history of mental problems as a mitigating factor against being sentenced for the death penalty.

Judge Randall called the latest move by Garcia's defense team "disturbing." However, he also said Garcia's rights to due process needed to be protected, so he begrudgingly appointed a statewide group of public defenders, the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, to work with Garcia's defense team in the sentencing portion of his case. The Judge said reluctantly, "I'm going to go ahead and appoint the Commission of Public Advocacy."

Dr. Anthony Garcia's death penalty hearing likely delayed after Judge orders mental competency exam for 'Creighton Killer'

Convicted Creighton Killer, Dr. Anthony Garcia, sat in court catatonic, refusing to answer the Judge in court

Convicted murderer Dr. Anthony Garcia sat mute during a mandatory preliminary death penalty sentencing hearing this morning and remained non-responsive to any questions from the Judge or his legal team.

Judge Gary Randall ordered a mental evaluation for Dr.
Anthony Garcia before proceeding with the death penalty
phase of the Garcia murder trial

When Judge Gary Randall repeatedly asked Dr. Garcia questions during the hearing, Dr. Garcia simply remained silent throughout the entire hearing, rocking back and forth in his seat with his eyes gazing downward avoiding any eye contact with anyone in the courtroom.

“Dr. Garcia if you do not respond to me, you leave me with no choice but to follow the third thing we discussed at the hearing last week [sic] was to have you sent to the Lincoln Regional Center to determine whether or not you’re competent,” Judge Randall said in court.

After getting no response from the defendant, the Judge then promptly ordered Dr. Garcia for another mental evaluation at the Lincoln Regional Center to determine if he is competent to take part in the death penalty phase of his murder trial.

Garcia had already refused to attend a sentencing hearing in person last week in Douglas County.

His legal team asserts that Garcia's catatonic behavior today is similar to what they experienced with the convicted murderer for months when they tried to meet with him in confidence to discuss issues before the court. Apparently, Dr. Garcia had not even spoken at all to his attorneys during his 3 1/2-week quadruple murder trial.

Jury says 'Creighton killer,' Dr. Anthony Garcia, eligible for death penalty

Dr. Anthony Garcia is eligible for the death penalty for his crimes

Update 11/9/16:

A historic election that swept underdog Presidential candidate Donald Trump into office, also overwhelmingly reinstated the death penalty in the State of Nebraska yesterday, nullifying a previous repeal of the death penalty in 2015 by the state legislature.

Much like the Trexit rebuke that swept across the state and the nation, the Rust Belt carried the initiative by a 4 to 1 margin outside Lincoln and Omaha.

That means the Supreme Court will assemble a three-judge panel to determine if Dr. Anthony Garcia will receive the death penalty, expected some months down the line, for committing two double-murders in the "Creighton murders" from 2008 and 2013.

Original Article:

A Douglas County jury reconvened for only 45 minutes today to determine if there were aggravating factors in Dr. Anthony J. Garcia's murder case to make him eligible for the death penalty.

Jury finds Dr. Anthony Garcia guilty on four counts of first-degree murder

Dr. Anthony Garcia was found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder by
a jury today at 1:30 p.m. and first death penalty phase hearing will start Friday

Of late, we have not been reporting a lot of positive and uplifting stories from the medical field in the Omaha area as we had originally intended when we first created this blog back in 2013.

The sordid stories of intrigue, controversy, and scandals coming out of the medical profession in Omaha in recent months simply haven't fit that bill for what we intended to highlight as the best aspects of the medical profession, especially for the community in a quiet and squeaky-clean Mid-Western town, like Omaha, Nebraska, nestled in the heartland of America.

Frankly, some of these disturbing stories reported in recent months have simply been black eyes on the medical profession in the Omaha metro area, but for better or worse, the it is what it is, and we still have to report on it.