Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Revenge Doctor” Anthony Garcia

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

All Anthony Garcia ever wanted to be was a successful doctor.  When anyone got in his way, he attacked – resulting in four violent murders. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this story, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes depictions of killings, child murder, violence, substance use, and suicide. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. To get help on mental health and suicide, visit spotify.com slash resources. Don't take no for an answer. Believe in yourself. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. For most people, this advice is helpful, or at least harmless. But Anthony Garcia was not most people.

When he failed to reach his goals, he hunted down the people who gave him no for an answer. He believed in himself so strongly he thought he could get away with murder. And instead of Among the Stars, he landed on death row. I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is a man. is Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. You can find us here every Monday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killers Podcast. And we'd love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Today we're covering Anthony J. Garcia, an aspiring doctor who murdered four people in the mid-2000s. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by

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Cordes and Todd Cooper, extremely helpful to our research. From his birth in 1973, Anthony Garcia's parents dreamed he'd be a doctor. It didn't matter that he had a reading disorder, or that as a child, he liked the idea of being a mathematician. For the Garcia's, it was doctor or bust. So Anthony made that his dream, too, enrolling at California State University, Los Angeles. He managed to graduate on time, but with average grades and unimpressive MCAT scores, he wasn't a strong candidate for medical school. As rejection notices filled his inbox, Anthony's future as a doctor looked increasingly grim. But then, in 1994, he was accepted to the University of Utah. Getting in was only the first step. For Anthony, med school proved arduous. He still lived with his

disability, reportedly only reading at a fifth grade level. Even with accommodations, Anthony failed several classes and was even placed on academic probation at one point. When his mother visited him on campus, she saw the pain behind her son's feigned smile. She may not have realized his unhappiness stemmed from being pushed into a career he never wanted, and it appears he didn't want to disappoint her with the truth because Anthony kept pushing through medical school at any cost. Without anyone to confide in, Anthony turned to alcohol. A few drinks after class quickly became a dependence. Reckless behavior behind closed doors eventually spilled into his performance at the

hospital, where he helped treat patients as a student. Both patients and professors noted his lack of care. One patient complained that Anthony made a routine vaginal examination, extremely painful. Nevertheless, Anthony managed to graduate in 1999, and despite his rocky track record, he matched into a residency program. That summer, Anthony and his father loaded all his belongings in a car and drove to New York. There, Anthony began his residency at Bassett-St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Almost immediately, the faculty and staff realized that their newest resident, was unequipped for a medical career. More than once, Anthony gave patients incorrect prescriptions.

For example, giving sedatives to a patient whose chart explicitly stated, do not sedate. Worse, whenever he made mistakes, Anthony blamed other doctors. He showed no remorse and couldn't seem to accept that he might have screwed up. After repeated incidents, the residency director asked Anthony to undergo psychological counseling. It's unclear if he ever attended any sessions, but his behavior did not improve. Not long after, Anthony was tasked with caring for a 12-year-old patient. He stood idle in the exam room, ignoring the child. When a radiology technician entered and asked what was happening,

Anthony exploded, screaming expletives. Naturally, the radiologist reported Anthony. But as the hospital prepared for a disciplinary hearing, Anthony resigned. It looked better to quit than get fired. Anthony sulked back to his parents' home in California, and perhaps under his parents' influence, applied to more residency programs. On each application, he conveniently left out his exit from Bassett-St. Elizabeth Medical Center. So in July 2000, Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, naively opened its doors to Anthony Garcia. In Creighton's defense, Anthony seemed to turn over a new leaf. During his first rotation, he received a stellar review from a supervising faculty member.

He was apparently well-mannered and detail-oriented. Not long after starting, Anthony posed for photos wearing a pristine white lab coat and gazing into a microscope, then sent them off to his parents who were thrilled. Unfortunately, the facade didn't last long. Anthony remained unqualified for a residency, and it showed. Eventually, the repeated mistakes led to angry outbursts, just like at Bassett. A few months in, it was time for Anthony's first review. One attending physician was particularly outspoken, Dr. Shonda Butra.

Dr. Boutra took a no-nonsense approach to her role at Creighton. she held residents to a high standard, determined to prepare them for the demands placed on a physician. She wasn't afraid to go into critical detail about Anthony's unprofessionalism and questionable lab techniques. Her review was so alarming, it alerted the director of the pathology residency program, Dr. Bill Hunter. As the residency director, Dr. Hunter was often charged with mentoring, struggling students, guiding them through the program with kindness and understanding. In January 2001, Dr. Hunter met with Anthony to review Dr. Butra's scathing assessment. In the meeting, Anthony was defensive, insisting that Dr. Butra was plotting his downfall.

A month later, in February, Dr. Butra filed another negative review. In response, Anthony berated her in public. Shocked, Dr. Butra spoke to Creighton's department heads. Anthony wasn't a fit for Creighton. He needed to be let go. However, it was hard to convince Dr. Hunter. He hoped to reform Anthony and give him another chance. The chair of the pathology department, Dr. Roger Brumbach, was critical of this soft-handed approach.

But the department agreed to let Dr. Hunter work with Anthony Garcia a while longer. Shortly after, Dr. Hunter sat in on an autopsy. During the procedure, Anthony misdiagnosed the cause of death. When a faculty member offered feedback, Anthony's response was belligerent. He refused to adjust his analysis. Just days later, he conducted another autopsy. Anthony opened the body in front of him and performed the usual procedure. But what he did next was far from standard.

He flipped the body over on its stomach and left it there for the night. And this time, there was no attending doctor on site to correct him. When the funeral home director came for the body the following day, the corpse was completely disfigured. All of the body's fluids had flowed downward, swelling the face up like a balloon. Not only was this embarrassing for Creighton, It made the family's loss even more painful. Now, Dr. Hunter, Dr. Brumbach, and Dr. Butra were in full agreement.

Anthony Garcia did not belong at Creighton. Still, Dr. Hunter's heart went out for the troubled resident. As far as he knew, this was Anthony's first attempt at a residency. Maybe he'd do better at a different hospital. So Dr. Hunter made a generous proposition, pending any mishance, he would allow Anthony to complete his first year at Creighton and gain a certificate for a year of training. Though his contract would not be renewed for a second year, the certificate would help him apply to other residencies. All he asked was that Anthony apologized to Dr. Butra.

Anthony agreed to apologize, but deep down he housed resentment, blaming Dr. Hunter and Dr. Butra for his perceived problems. For the next few months, Anthony seemed to hold up his end of the agreement. He even received a positive review that may. But just two days later, Anthony Garcia lashed out again. That day, the pathology department's chief resident's wife received a disturbing phone call. Her husband needed to drop what he was doing and report to Creighton University immediately. Failure to do so would result in his termination.

At that time, the chief resident. resident was sitting for an important exam. He couldn't drop everything and leave. Knowing this, the wife made some more phone calls seeking more information. She discovered that none of Creighton's faculty or staff knew what she was talking about, but they all knew about the exam. The call was a clear attempt at sabotage, and it didn't take long to unveil the caller, Anthony Garcia. This time, Dr. Hunter's response was immediate and unsparing. On May 22nd, 2001, he and Dr. Brumbach called Anthony into the office.

They fired him on the spot. Anthony gathered his belongings and left Creighton quietly, but he didn't leave empty-handed. Dr. Hunter provided letters of recommendation. It may be hard to understand, but generosity was Dr. Hunter's standard mode of operation. To him, there was good in all people. Everyone deserved a second chance. Dr. Hunter believed a different program could provide the environment Anthony needed to flourish. Years later, he said this was overly optimistic. The tone of the letters were general enough to avoid damning information, but hopeful enough to convince admissions committees that Anthony

had a future. It worked. In July 2001, Anthony set out for residency number three at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. And for the first year, it seemed like Dr. Hunter may have been right. Creighton just wasn't a good fit. But Anthony Garcia had bigger battles than school selection. Throughout the beginning of 2003, he visited the hospital for suicidal ideation and homicidal thoughts aimed at his colleagues. He was treated with electroconvulsive therapy, but it wasn't effective.

Before 2003 came to a close, he left the residency and returned to his parents' home in California, where he faced more disappointments. The cost of repeated hospitalization in Chicago had put him $80,000 in debt. In 2005, he filed for bankruptcy and applied for disability income. Around this time, he survived a suicide attempt. But instead of finding a new direction for his second chance at life, Anthony Garcia followed the same old story. Astonishingly, he matched into residency number four at Louisiana State University. In the summer of 2007, he moved to Shreveport and started the program.

But in February 2008, the Louisiana State Medical Board discovered one of the many skeletons in his closet. After reaching out to Dr. Bill Hunter at Creighton University for some verification documents, they learned of Anthony's firing. While the letters had been vague, in conversation,

Dr. Hunter had to be specific. When the state licensing board communicated this finding to Louisiana State University, the school administrators realized that Anthony never disclosed the full details of his Creighton residency on his application. This omission constituted grounds for removal.

On February 26, 2008, less than a year into his fourth residency, 34-year-old Anthony was fired for the third time. And once again, Anthony refused to accept that he might be at fault. He blamed Dr. Hunter. Even though the doctor had been exceptionally kind and considerate, Anthony Garcia felt like he deserved revenge. In the week that followed, Anthony bought a smoke-colored license plate shield to distort his car's identifying numbers and withdrew $300 cash from a bank in Shreveport. For the next week, he'd be untraceable.

Then he hopped in his car and drove to Omaha. Want to support your gut health? Take Activia's gut health challenge by enjoying two Activia yogurt today for two weeks and see if you feel a difference. With billions of probiotics and 20 years of scientific expertise, Activia is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to start your gut health ritual. Try Activia today. Enjoying Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort,

which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Transport your senses with Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with he fresco paraizzo. Embrace a floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with cheeky bikini or caps your sun-kissed bliss with limonada gelada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection, only in the same. at Sephora. In March 2008, Anthony Garcia arrived in Omaha, Nebraska. He had alcohol on his breath and revenge on his mind. Around 3.20 p.m. on March 13th, his silver Honda CRV crept up a peaceful

suburban street, which didn't go unnoticed. One of the neighbors pulled up behind him. She observed the pinkish color of the out-of-state license plate, but couldn't make out the number through the smokescreen. The slow crawl of the CRV was strange, but she wasn't too suspicious. There'd been plenty of homes for sale recently. They were probably looking for the right address for an open house.

When Anthony finally reached his destination, he peered into the rearview mirror at the woman in the car behind him. In the reflection, their eyes met. The neighbor got a glimpse of Anthony, a man with black hair and olive skin. nervous, Anthony quickly pulled his car forward up the street until the woman in the car behind him disappeared.

Anthony turned on to the next street over and parked. Sitting in his car, Anthony went over his plan again. He didn't want to be seen. What he didn't realize was that no matter where he walked, residents would take notice. In a mostly white neighborhood, his brown skin stood out. In fact, Anthony's parked. car was immediately noticed by another neighbor who watched it through her window. She saw Anthony

exit his car and walk up the street. Her curious eyes followed until he crossed over to the next street and out of her sight. There, Anthony was immediately spotted by another local resident walking the opposite direction. That neighbor saw him approach a home and ring the doorbell. It was Dr. Hunter's home. But Dr. Hunter didn't answer the door. His 11-year-old son, Tom, did. From outside, the neighbor saw Tom open the door and say hello to Anthony. Figuring the two knew each other, the neighbor carried on down the street.

It's likely Anthony asked Tom if his father was home. He wasn't. It was just Tom and the family housekeeper, 57-year-old Shirley Sherman. Anthony Garcia had driven over 700 miles to Dr. Hunter's home. Leaving now would only create loose ends. Tom might tell his father about Anthony's visit and aroused suspicion. Around that point, a thought crystallized in Anthony's mind. The pain of one's own death can't compare to the pain of living in the wake of a loved one's death.

Here was Anthony's opportunity to make Dr. Hunter suffer in a way that would haunt him for the rest of his life. At that moment, 11-year-old Tom became the new target. It's unclear whether Anthony convinced Tom to let him inside or he forced his way in, but somehow Anthony got into the kitchen, grabbed one of the hunter's knives, and stabbed Tom in the neck. Shirley, the housekeeper, entered the room to see Anthony standing over Tom's lifeless body. It's unclear whether Anthony knew there was another person in the house until this moment, but when he came face to face with Shirley, he lurched at her. Shirley ran down the hall towards the back door, but Anthony was quicker.

He stabbed Shirley in the neck with an even bigger knife. In the span of ten minutes, his revenge. was complete. Out the front door, Anthony walked calmly back to his car. Then he sped towards his parents' home in California. Two hours later, around 5.45 p.m., Dr. Hunter arrived home to devastation. The entire scene struck him as surreal. The music from Tom's Xbox game was still playing. Dr. Hunter made his way to the kitchen and dialed 911. He calmly spoke to the operator who instructed him to exit the home and wait on the front porch for the police.

In the cool night air, Dr. Hunter's shock faded to grief. He couldn't bring himself to call his wife. He stood in silence until Detective Derek Moyce from the Omaha Police Department arrived. A 34-year-old homicide detective, Moise was adept at uncovering the intricacies of crime scenes. He took detailed notes, no valuables taken, no fingerprints, identical knife wounds, expertly done. This was likely a premeditated murder. The autopsy and lab results confirmed his suspicion. In both victims, the carotid artery and jugular vein were severed and there was no residual DNA from the killer. The

The neighbors' firsthand accounts gave them a suspect description, a heavy-set man with olive skin and dark hair. But without any physical evidence, the detective's best bet was to see who might have motive to harm Tom, Shirley, or Dr. Hunter. Detectives began by interviewing Dr. Hunter, who came into the police station a mere hour after his son's death. urged him to think of anyone who may want to hurt him or his family. They specifically asked him to consider residents and colleagues at Creighton University's teaching hospital. Dr. Hunter struggled to

come up with any names. As the director of the pathology residency, he took pride in building good relationships with faculty and students. Even among the residents who weren't successful in the program, he was respected and beloved. But Dr. Hunter was was determined to find his son's killer. He recruited his colleague Dr. Brumbach, and together they reviewed the files of every single resident who'd attended the pathology program since 1990. They stopped on the name of a Russian student

who'd left the program a few months before. Several faculty members found him strange and intimidating. When Dr. Brumbach insisted Dr. Hunter make the resident take a psychological evaluation, he filed a complaint for employment discrimination. It was Dr. Hunter's caring personality that put an end to the scandal. He helped the Russian resident find another job. In turn, he dropped the complaint. But perhaps he'd changed his mind. Detective Moise and lead investigator Scott Warner tracked down the Russian resident, but they found he had a strong alibi. He'd sent an email from his work computer in Pittsburgh, hours before the massacre. But they found another lead from Creighton, an administrator called the police to report her own list of suspects,

including Anthony Garcia. On March 17, 2008, just four days after the murder, two officers visited the administrator. When questioned, she mentioned the prank call Anthony made, resulting in his firing. To the officers, Anthony's mischief seemed benign. They wrote his name down but never followed up on the tip. For the next two months, the investigation stalled.

In May, Dr. Hunter emailed police the names of two individuals he fired from Creighton years ago. They'd left quietly and years before, so hadn't come to mind in his initial sit-down with Dr. Brumbach. One of those residents was Anthony Garcia. But somehow that tip didn't make it to Detective Moise. he spent the rest of 2008 chasing dead ends, like Shirley's daughter's boyfriend and people Tom talked to on Xbox Live. In early 2009, with all the major leads exhausted, the investigation into Tom and Shirley's murders was transferred to the cold case unit.

Meanwhile, Anthony Garcia continued trying to become a doctor. By March 2009, a year after the murders, Anthony had moved to Illinois, where he'd previously secured a temporary medical license. This gave him access to contract jobs across the state, where he primarily performed health screenings for patients at clinics. By 2010, Anthony had obtained another temporary license. Soon he began working at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, providing health care to inmates. Apparently, this was more lucrative than his roles in Illinois, and the job enabled Anthony to buy his first home. He followed up by purchasing a black Mercedes SUV and a Ferrari.

At the same time, Anthony finally pursued treatment for alcoholism. He even prescribed himself antidepressants and antipsychotics. But Anthony struggled to stay sober. After work, he'd head to the local gentleman's club and knock back beers while watching dancers, who affectionately called him Dr. Tony. At the club, Anthony was admired and praised, something he never got in his professional life. One evening, under the influence of alcohol and the compliments of paid dancers, Anthony bragged about his double murder. The dancer he hoped to impress, Cecilia Hoffman, laughed awkwardly. She assumed Anthony invented the heinous story for attention. Though Anthony was getting plenty of attention without making up stories. Throughout 2011 and early 2012,

Anthony often showed up to work intoxicated. He got aggressive with colleagues and supervisors and once sent his boss a threatening voicemail. After countless incidents, he was forced to resign in the summer of 2012. As usual, Anthony Garcia kept trying to work as a doctor. This time he applied for a permanent medical license in the state of Indiana. It didn't take the state medical board long to dig up Anthony's past. In September 2012, they contacted Creighton University's chair of pathology, Dr. Roger Brumbach. He'd helped in Anthony's firing and offered an honest reflection on Anthony's untimely exit from the school. Three months later, in December 2012, the board denied 39-year-old Anthony's application.

Though they never revealed the name of the Creighton faculty member who provided the records, they might have mentioned that his time in the residency program influenced their decision. Enraged, Anthony blamed Dr. Chonda Butra, his supervisor from Creighton. He believed Dr. Butra's negative reviews were the source of his misery. Anthony continued to drink, showing up to work under the influence and belligerent. On January 2nd, 2013, he was fired from another medical job in Indiana, which kicked off a spiral. On January 5th, days after his firing, he was admitted to the hospital three different times for a blood alcohol content well over the legal limit.

The next month was a spree of emergency room visits, 911 calls, and public intoxication. Anthony's self-prescribed antidepressants and antipsychotics only exacerbated the alcohol's effects. All the while, Anthony's rage at Dr. Butra stewed until he decided it was time for more revenge. On January 10, 2013, Anthony Garcia conducted an internet search for home residence, Butra, Omaha, Nebraska. Just five years earlier, he'd begun his revenge the same way by carefully seeking out Dr. Hunter's address. Now, his second murder plot was taking form. But he was less careful this time around. On March 8, 2013, Anthony entered a store in Tara Hote and left with a semi-automatic pistol.

This was a stark difference from the past two murders, a gun, was traceable. Two months later, in May 2013, Anthony drove his black Mercedes SUV to Omaha. His objective was simple. Punish Dr. Butra for standing in the way of his success. Fortunately, when Anthony pulled up to Dr. Butra's residence on May 12, 2013, she and her husband were out on a lunch date. When the couple returned, they saw signs of an attempted breaking in. Across town, Anthony Garcia sat in his car in a wingstop parking lot still stewing. On his phone, he searched for another address, that of Dr. Roger Brumbach. It turned out he lived just a few miles away. And he was home, painting his foyer. The 65-year-old doctor and his wife were

in the process of selling their house and moving to West Virginia. house was full of boxes. Around 3 p.m. on May 12, 2013, Dr. Brumbach's painting was interrupted by a knock at the door. He opened it to find Anthony Garcia holding a gun. Dr. Brumbach managed to grab the weapon before Anthony could squeeze the trigger. But Anthony fought back, regaining his grip on the gun in Dr. Brumbach's hands. In the struggle, Anthony fired three shots. shots. One of the bullets entered Dr. Brumbach's leg. Another entered his shoulder. The third was fatal, penetrating his liver. After that shot, the magazine fell out of the gun, clattering to the floor. Dr. Brumbach's wife, Mary, heard the shots. She ran to the door to find her husband

bleeding out. To her horror, Anthony ran at her. He hit Mary across the head with the the unloaded gun, knocking her down. Then Anthony ran to the kitchen and returned with two knives. Mary held up her arms to defend herself, but Anthony stabbed her neck. Like Tom Hunter and Shirley Sherman, Mary Brumbach died of a severed, carotid artery. Though Dr. Brumbach was likely already dead. Anthony stabbed Dr. Brumbach in the neck six times again severing the carotid artery. Just minutes later, Anthony Garcia got back into his SUV and disappeared onto Interstate 80. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help

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Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. Two days after Anthony Garcia killed Roger and Mary Brumback, movers arrived to take an old piano off the couple's hands. When no one answered their knocks, one of the men opened the front door and saw the magazine that had fallen out of Anthony's pistol, seeing the rest of the house the man called 911. When local detectives Derek Moise and Scott Warner arrived, they noticed something peculiar. The knife wounds in both Mr. and Mrs. Brumbach's necks were reminiscent of another double murder from five years earlier. The lead was confirmed when they learned Dr. Brumbach was a pathologist at Creighton University,

just like Dr. Hunter. Their suspect was a serial killer on the hunt for doctors. So detectives Moise and Warner paid Dr. Hunter a visit. The doctor was beside himself to learn of his colleague's fate. Ultimately, his answers didn't offer any significant clues, but a phone call the next day did. After learning of Dr. Brumbach's murder, Dr. Butra became suspicious of the attempted break-in at her home. Her husband contacted authorities, who hurried to the Butra home to collect DNA samples and dust for fingerprints. Detectives Moise and Warner were convinced the killer was targeting Creighton physicians even before the labs came back. And so was the police chief.

They created a task force of 21 investigators. weeks later, on May 27, 2013, Detective Moise found a link, Anthony Garcia. His resignation letter had been signed by Dr. Hunter and Dr. Brumbach, and there were records detailing the conflict between Anthony Garcia and Dr. Butra. Anthony had a motive to kill all three pathologists, and records turned up showing that he'd owned a silver CRV matching the one reported by the hunter's neighbors. On May 30, 2013, Moise pulled two detectives from the task force aside. He wanted them to help him dig deeper into Anthony. Together, the offshoot team uncovered Anthony's emails,

financial records, and phone calls. They found a heap of evidence, including the gun he purchased in March 2013 and his wing stop order in Omaha during the short window between the Butra break-in and the Brumbach murders. Even his cell phone records lined up. It was enough for a warrant. In addition, the police were granted access to GPS tracking to keep an eye on Anthony's movements. On July 14, 2013, the task force detectives flew to Indiana with plans to enter Anthony's home with the help of the local SWAT team. But by the time their plane landed, the GPS showed that Anthony was two hours away in Illinois and driving further south. The FBI gave chase. They sped an unmarked car toward the moving GPS pin, finally stopping in Salem, Illinois.

There they found Anthony's car, parked outside a motel. The agents booked a hotel across the street where they could watch the parking lot from their window. They also called a nearby FBI field office in Illinois for backup. Their plan was to get a few hours of rest, then wake up at 5 a.m. to monitor Anthony throughout the day, waiting for a safe time to arrest him. The team considered him armed and dangerous, so they needed to move with caution. But while the officers slept, Anthony disappeared onto the interstate. By the time the agents woke up and noticed Anthony's car was missing, he was long gone. Panicked, the agents raced south following the new trail,

until their GPS tracker alerted them that Anthony had once again changed his route. Perhaps he'd gotten lost, or he realized he was being followed. He'd managed to go north unnoticed for about 30 minutes. A dizzying car chase ensued. Anthony kept changing direction. Worse, he kept inching closer to the Missouri state line. If he crossed it, they'd have to involve police in another state, which would take more time and coordination.

So the agents made a snap decision. Arrest him now. By coincidence, Anthony pulled off on the exit right where Illinois authorities were already stationed. He saw them and sped back onto the highway. where he was quickly surrounded, trapped on the interstate. He had no choice but to come out of the car with his hands up, reeking of alcohol. On July 15th, officers charged Anthony Garcia with driving under the influence and placed him behind bars. As he settled into his cell in Jonesboro, Illinois, he received news from detectives Moise and Warner. They had a warrant for his arrest in Omaha.

charging him with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of felony weapon use. Hearing this, Anthony remained suspiciously calm, like he had during his firing from Creighton University. With Anthony in custody in Illinois, detectives searched his Terre Haute home. It was relatively empty as if he'd been preparing to move. The bare rooms made the search painless, but not any less bizarre. On the dining room table, they found neat stacks of Anthony's personal documents, including his medical license and the deed to his house. In the kitchen sink, detectives discovered a garbage bag filled with papers.

It was soaking in an unidentifiable chemical, likely a fluid meant to dissolve the bag and its contents. Detectives were able to retrieve and read most of the documents inside. They showed a collection of Anthony's failures. His termination letter from Creighton, the scathing review from Dr. Butra, and rejections from various medical licensing departments. There were even documents revealing that his house was entering foreclosure, which explained the emptiness. Alongside it, they found research on how to succeed in identity theft. The most startling discovery was a collection of handwritten notes. One sheet of paper included what seemed to be a step-by-step.

layout of a revenge plot. Invade rich house, torture, murder, Jack, rich children, gun, invade, kill, knife, garage, kidnap family, torture, kill. It seemed that even after the double homicides, Anthony's hunger for vengeance was unsated. With a slew of residences and jobs he'd been fired from, there were countless potential victims out there. But true horror unveiled itself when Detective Moise and Warner impounded and searched Anthony's Mercedes SUV. Inside, they found a crowbar, a sledgehammer, gloves, and a map with directions to Shreveport, Louisiana, where Anthony had attempted his fourth medical residency at Louisiana State University. Detectives also found his old Louisiana State University lab coat.

It was odd that Anthony had it in his car, given that he hadn't needed it for over five years. Even odder, the car also included directions from Shreveport to New Orleans and instructions on how to rent a fishing boat in the city. Anthony had been heading south to kill again. With this realization, detectives were even more eager to press murder charges. Though it wasn't cut and dry, they still couldn't find the gun used to attack the Brumbacks, and it would be nearly impossible to pin Anthony for the crimes without it. In September 2014, Detective Warner checked if any police departments between Omaha and Tara Hote had found a gun. Sure enough, back in July 2013,

A sheriff in Illinois had been alerted to an abandoned firearm on the side of the highway. He confiscated it and ran the serial number through the police database. But his search came up empty. No one had reported this gun missing. So the sheriff put the gun in storage. The serial number stayed in the database until September 2014, when investigators in Omaha typed in the serial number of the gun purchased by any. Anthony Garcia.

Stunned at their luck, Detective Moise and three colleagues drove to Illinois to retrieve the literal smoking gun. Along the way, they stopped at the strip clubs that Anthony had frequented in Terre Haute. That's where they found Cecilia Hoffman, the dancer Anthony had confessed to. She agreed to testify. When Anthony Garcia's defense team got wind of this, they had happened. hired a PI to visit and speak with her. Though she was shaken, Cecilia gave her testimony in October 2016 in the murder trial for Anthony Garcia,

recounting his haunting confession. On cross-examination, Anthony's lawyer assassinated Cecilia's character. At one point, he even screamed in the courtroom. The judge put a stop to it, but the entire scene made the jurors visibly uncomfortable. On the other hand, Anthony Garcia seemed fully checked out, even appearing to sleep during his own trial, which took a turn in the prosecution's favor. Dr. Chonda Butra, Dr. Bill Hunter, Detective Moise, and the county coroner, all gave statements. On the stand, the coroner illuminated the severed carotid artery in all four victims, a precise hit that only someone with medical knowledge, would have used. On October 25, 2016, the jury began deliberations. One day later, 43-year-old

Anthony Garcia was found guilty of four first-degree murders and four counts of using a weapon to commit a felony. Relief swelled through the courtroom as Tom Hunter's mother and another one of her sons embraced, and Shirley Sherman's family cried. Still, grief sat alongside this moment of justice. They'd never get back the four people Anthony killed. Anthony's mother also cried, leaning into the shoulder of her husband as they dealt with a different pain. Their son had amounted to the polar opposite of what they'd dreamt for him. Two years later, on September 14, 2018, Anthony Garcia was brought to the courtroom in a wheelchair for sentencing. The freshly shaven appearance he had throughout the trial

was gone, replaced with long, curly black hair and an unruly salt and pepper beard. Now 45, and without money for defense attorneys, Anthony was represented by public defenders that pushed a sentimental narrative. In their eyes, Anthony was thrust into a career he never wanted by his parents. The stress of which led to alcoholism and mental health conditions. That defense strategy failed. Anthony Garcia was sentenced to the death penalty and transported to death row in Nebraska. As of 2024, he remains there. Thanks for listening to Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. We're here with a new episode every Monday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killers podcast, and we'd love to hear from you, so if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up

and give us your thoughts. Amongst the many sources we used, we found pathological, the murderous rage of Dr. Anthony Garcia by Henry J. Cordes and Todd Cooper, extremely helpful to our research. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify podcast. This episode was written by Courtney Taylor, edited by M. Maggie Admire and Lauren Delisle, researched by Chelsea Wood, fact-checked by Bennett Logan, and sound designed by Kelly Gary.

Our head of programming is Julian Barrow. Our head of production is Nick Johnson, and Spencer Howard is our post-production supervisor. I'm your host, Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up, getting ready for bed, is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids a rest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast crime beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite

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