A Denver man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the assault and strangulation of his girlfriend.
Thomas Garcia, 41, was sentenced March 17 after the body of 38-year-old Karen Morales was found inside a residence in the 2500 block of South University Boulevard, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
On Jan. 23, 2020, Garcia called 911 to report that Morales was not breathing after “they had gotten into a fight,” according to a DA’s office news release.
Emergency responders found Morales, deceased, laying on a mattress, a ligature mark across her neck, prosecutors said. She had bruises on her face and a laceration on her forehead. A belt was underneath her neck and tangled into her hair. Physical evidence indicated she had likely been dead for an extended time.
On Jan. 17 a jury convicted Garcia of attempted murder, first-degree assault — strangulation, and second-degree assault, all felonies, according to the release. An initial charge of first-degree murder was dropped after the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner was unable to determine a cause of death.
At the time of the incident, Garcia was on probation for a separate domestic violence case involving a different female victim, the release stated. In the Morales case, prosecutors asked the court for a 67-year sentence based on the assault and strangulation, as well as the defendant’s prior record — seven domestic violence convictions involving seven different female victims.
“Given the facts of Thomas Garcia’s violent assault and strangulation of Karen Morales, his lengthy assaultive history against women as well as the fact that he was on probation for a prior domestic violence offense at the time of this offense, we believed a 67-year sentence would not only serve to punish Thomas Garcia’s behavior but also ensure that the community remains safe,” Assistant District Attorney Maggie Conboy said in the release.
Garcia was sentenced by Denver District Court Judge Michael Spear.
“Karen Morales was so much more than a domestic violence victim”, her niece, Christine Casados, stated in the release. “Despite the fact that her murderer will be a free man in about 10-15 years, our family will continue to honor her memory as she was; a beautiful energetic woman who was actively moving toward her goal of the best version of herself, with a loving heart.”
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