Strangled teen’s mother testifies in Adrian Garcia murder trial

The mother of a teenager allegedly strangled by her boyfriend testified in court Tuesday, telling jurors she originally believed her daughter had committed suicide.

Prosecutors say Adrian Garcia strangled his 15-year-old girlfriend, Alejandra Arango, because he was angry she broke up with him. The girl’s mother found the body in a bathtub inside their San Elizario home August 5, 2013.

Investigators say Garcia staged the scene inside the bathroom to make it look like the victim had fallen asleep in the bathtub and drowned.

According to a complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7 in 2013, Garcia allegedly told investigators he went to his girlfriend’s home to ask her why she didn’t want to be with him.

Arango reportedly told him she had found someone else. Garcia said he left his ex-girlfriend “alive and crying.” When he was leaving, he allegedly told the girl “karma would catch up with her.”

Rosa Chavira testified in court Tuesday with the help of a translator. She said she knew about her daughter’s breakup with Adrian.

The woman told jurors she would always communicate with her daughter while at work, primarily through text messaging. She did not hear from her daughter while at work the day Alejandra was found dead.

Chavira left work at 2:30 p.m. and arrived home about an hour later. She found her home’s windows were closed, the air conditioner was off, and the dogs were still inside the house. She said this was not the norm when her daughter was home.

When asked to describe the scene in the bathroom with her daughter in the bathtub, Chavira looked away from prosecutors, before saying she called her niece and 911.

Chavira initially believed Alejandra had committed suicide, but changed her mind after speaking with detectives.

Monday, jurors heard from a crime scene investigator with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office who dusted the bathroom for fingerprints.

The investigator told jurors she found nail polish on the walls of the victim’s bedroom. Defense attorney Justin Underwood asked the investigator why certain objects, like an empty rubbing alcohol bottle and an aerosol can in the bathroom and bedroom, were not tested.

Underwood mentioned all the items can be used in “huffing,” a term used to describe inhalant abuse. The defense attorney also told jurors Garcia’s fingerprints had not been found in the bathroom or anywhere else in the home and nail polish was not found on the victim’s nails.

Underwood also asked the investigator if she tested the water inside the bathtub.

“No,” she replied.