Affidavit reveals son helped break 36-year-old homicide case that led to mother’s arrest

The complaint affidvait against Lisbeth Ann Garrett reveals that a relative had a hand in helping authorities break the 36-year-old cold case homicide of her estranged husband, Army Maj. Chester Garrett.

The 74-year-old and the victim’s stepson, Roger Garrett, are accused of beating and stabbing to death Chester Garrett and leaving his body inside his car along Americas Avenue in far east El Paso.

Lisbeth remains in the county jail under a 5-million dollar bond. Roger is in the process of being extradited from Tennessee.

The affidavit states that last month, Patrick Garrett, Lisbeth and Chester’s son, approached El Paso County Sheriff’s Investigators and told them that Roger admitted to murdering their father — with their mother’s help.
Patrick was 12 at the time of his father’s death.

Patrick told investigators Roger opened up to him nearly 14 years after Chester’s death, in 1991. He stated that Roger told him he hit Chester in the back of the head with a baseball bat and that Lisbeth stabbed him with a knife.

Patrick said his mother sent him to the movies the night of the murder, a unusual move on a Monday night.He also told investigators heremembers using acid to clean the garage floor, which was stained red, the next day. Patrick said he and Roger cleaned the garage at the direction of their mother.

He said when he came back from the movies, Roger escorted him to his room and told him to immediately go to sleep. The next day, Roger didn’t let Patrick leave his room and made him eat cereal in his room and leave the house through the front door, instead of the garage, whish was his usual way of getting out of the house.