A Hyattsville man convicted of breaking into the homes of four women and killing one of them will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled Thursday.
Seth Zucker, a spokesman for the Montgomery County state’s attorney’s office, said Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Mason sentenced 34-year-old Jose Garcia-Perlera to life in prison without parole.
In May, a jury convicted Garcia-Perlera on one count of first-degree murder, four counts of burglary and other charges.
Prosecutors said Garcia-Perlera began a violent spree in September 2007, when he broke into the home of a 92-year-old woman and bound and gagged her during the burglary. They said he then committed two similar attacks before beating to death 63-year-old Mary Havenstein at her Bethesda home in September 2008.
During his trial, the three surviving victims took the stand and described their experiences, including how one of them chewed her way through her gag before being rescued days later. DNA evidence linked Garcia-Perlera to some of the crimes, and stolen items from each of the women’s houses were found during a search of his apartment, authorities said.
Prosecutors also pointed to similarities among the crimes: all victims were elderly widows who lived alone; they were all hog-tied - with their hands and feed bound together - and gagged; similar items, such as jewelry, were taken. The attacks also occurred in a small geographic area.
Defense attorneys raised concerns about the forensic evidence and other issues, but the jury deliberated less than three hours before returning its guilty verdict.
The cases drew widespread attention in this affluent D.C. suburb, where officials reported more than 700 people attended one of several community forums they held after the incidents.
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