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.

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.

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 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.

UNMC pathologist Thomas Williams named Nebraska’s top public health official

Pathologist Dr. Thomas Williams

A local Omaha pathologist has been chosen to serve as Nebraska’s next top public health official.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas L. Williams as the state’s next chief medical officer and director of the state’s Division of Public Health. The appointment comes more than a year after the resignation of Dr. Joseph Acierno.

A blue ribbon panel comprising of the Governor’s Office and Courtney Phillips, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, interviewed nearly two dozen candidates for the job.

“Williams stood out ... because of his wide-ranging experience and heart for public service,” Gov. Ricketts said.

Williams currently directs laboratory medicine and is the chairman of the pathology department at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. He also teaches pathology as a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Medicine.