Probation, for murder?

[Cringer]

So this made the news down here about an hour ago when the decision came in, and it is just odd to me. Not really surprising I guess in this country, and this county.....

Convicted murderer gets 10 years probation
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April 28, 2008 - 6:18PM
The Monitor

EDINBURG -- A man convicted of murdering his neighbor and former friend received 10 years probation Today.

Antonio Saldaña shot and killed Pedro Garcia in January because he suspected Garcia was having an affair with his wife.

Garcia's family said the lenient sentence suggest murder is justifiable.

"(The jury) made it seem like it's ok to kill," said Cecillia Garcia, Pedro's 16-year-old daughter. "( The Saldaña family is) going back home with their father. What do we have to go back for?"

The 47-year-old elementary school custodian tried to apologize to the Garcia family after the sentenced was handed down, but the family ignored him.

Check back with TheMonitor.com throughout the night for further updates.

Here is an article from friday, right after he was convicted and before the sentencing.

Man convicted of slaying neighbor testifies
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Months of alleged taunting led him to kill, he says
April 25, 2008 - 9:49PM
Jeremy Roebuck
EDINBURG - Antonio Saldaña recounted in court Friday the day he shot his neighbor to death.

The 47-year-old elementary school custodian tearfully described months of alleged abuse and lewd jokes he said Pedro Garcia made at the expense of his family.

And then on Jan. 6, 2007, he said, he finally snapped.

"I felt embarrassed and angry, but I kept it inside," he said of the days leading up to Garcia's death. "I shot, I shot, I shot. I was very upset."

Saldaña's testimony Friday came during the penalty phase of his trial, hours after an Hidalgo County jury found him guilty of murder in the death of his neighbor and former friend.

Prosecutors accused Saldaña of killing Garcia because he suspected Garcia was having an affair with his wife.

Saldaña was also charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly shooting his own nephew and pointing a shotgun at Garcia's wife, both of whom witnessed the slaying.

But the jury of eight men and four women cleared Saldaña of those charges Friday morning, after deciding he had not planned to attack the pair.

"No surprises," his attorney Fernando Mancias said after the verdict was read.

As jurors took up Saldaña's punishment, witnesses described how the shooting had torn two families apart.

"He did not just kill my husband," Garcia's wife, Norma, said as she sobbed. "He killed our confidence, our support. I'm by myself now because of that murderer."

The entire Garcia family has struggled to cope with the loss, two of Pedro Garcia's daughters testified.

The residents of the house next door have endured their own strife. The Saldañas, who once enjoyed friendly relations with the Garcias, had contemplated moving to escape Pedro Garcia's alleged taunting.

After the dispute that left their neighbor dead, they felt they had to leave, Saldaña's 18-year-old son, Marco, said.

But the only witness who said he had ever observed the alleged teasing was Saldaña himself.

"I didn't feel comfortable there anymore," he said of their home. "My kids didn't feel comfortable. We were afraid to go out of the house."

Over a period of months, Pedro Garcia allegedly made several crude jokes about Saldaña's wife and his children's sexual orientation. Pedro Garcia once said he would take Saldaña's youngest son to Mexico to "make him a man," the convicted killer testified.

The last straw, however, came after Saldaña discovered several phone calls he believed to be from Pedro Garcia on his wife's cell phone. Garcia died hours later.

"I do regret what I did," Saldaña said. "He was my friend and I do feel sorry for the family."

Court proceedings continued well into Friday evening. Jurors are expected to reconvene Monday morning to decide Saldaña's punishment.

He could face up to life in prison and $10,000 in fines.

So just because it wasn't planned he gets off for it? That is a dumb ass reason IMO. It says he was the only one who ever 'witnessed' any taunting from the victim, so I don't even know I buy that when he says himself they had been friendly.

[JeeberD]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...al/index2.html

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...al/index2.html

Nice. I didn't know this was somewhat common in Texas.

[JeeberD]

Yeah, I had no idea how common it was until I saw that series in the paper...

[korme]

saldana is a badd man

[Lathum]

Saldaña shot and killed Pedro Garcia

geez, you think you know someone

[cartman]

I'm not calling Saldana a chick ever again.

[MikeVic]

Yeesh, I 'm never calling saldana a chick either!

[CamEdwards]

That DMN series was really eye opening. We talked a lot about it on the show.

It's amazing how common light sentences for murder can be. There was a case in Boston last year... 17-year old girl stabbed her boyfriend to death as he lay on their couch, apparently because he had left the apartment earlier and didn't tell her where he was going. She was prosecuted as a juvenile and got a four year sentence.

[EagleFan]

Probation for murder? That's insane. What the hell are these people thinking?

I guess if I want to get rid of somone I should roll the dice and try it in Texas?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by cartman

I'm not calling Saldana a chick ever again.

so maybe we know what the taunting in question was?

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Probation for murder? That's insane. What the hell are these people thinking?

I guess if I want to get rid of somone I should roll the dice and try it in Texas?

Well, it's probation or lethal injection. Still too much of a gamble for me.

[Cringer]

I guess there was another case like this down in this area about a woman who killed her husband and only got 10 years probation.

48 Hours is doing a story on the case tonight from what I just read on the local papers website.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I guess there was another case like this down in this area about a woman who killed her husband and only got 10 years probation.

48 Hours is doing a story on the case tonight from what I just read on the local papers website.

Saw it. Odd case. Woman is insane. She's appealing the guilty verdict. If she loses, she could end up with life inprisonment.

I didn't realize probation was that bad in Texas.

[Cringer]

I missed the begining of 48 Hours, so I didn't get to hear some important stuff I am sure. I think she is crazy to appeal though. I also find it a bit screwed up she gets all travel restrictions lifted while she is appealing. She wasn't allowed to leave the county while on probation.

I also found it odd so many white people were involved in a case from down here, and Brownsville more specifically.

[billethius]

Given the number of guilty verdicts that have been overturned in Texas thanks to advancements in DNA testing, perhaps the judicial system is just hedging their bets by givnig everyone probation now.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I also find it a bit screwed up she gets all travel restrictions lifted while she is appealing. She wasn't allowed to leave the county while on probation.

I don't see how that matters, most people from down there have never left the county in their lives.