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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three mental health experts have testified that a former doctor accused of killing four people with ties to an Omaha medical school is competent to stand trial.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Friday he expects the judge to find Anthony Garcia mentally fit enough to stand trial following the testimony Thursday from the experts — two for state prosecutors and one called by Garcia's lawyers.
"We're ready to go," Kleine said. "We're looking forward to this case moving forward."
Robert Motta, a Chicago attorney representing Garcia, also said his client is ready for the trial to get underway.
District Judge Duane Dougherty said Thursday he would rule within the coming days on Garcia's mental competency. Garcia's trial is now tentatively scheduled to begin April 4.
Garcia, 42, was ordered last year to undergo a mental health evaluation following his repeated allegations of being sexually abused by jail guards. Officials have said that jail surveillance video and other evidence disproves those allegations.
Garcia has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the March 2008 slayings of Dr. William Hunter's 11-year-old son, Thomas Hunter, and the family's housekeeper, Shirlee Sherman, as well as the May 2013 killings of Dr. Roger Brumback and his wife, Mary.
Authorities believe Garcia was motivated by revenge for being fired from Creighton's pathology department in 2001. Roger Brumback and William Hunter had been instrumental in firing Garcia, and both men subsequently sent letters to medical boards that prevented Garcia from becoming licensed in several states and from finishing other residency programs.
Garcia had briefly held a temporary medical license in Indiana. He was also licensed in Illinois, where he was arrested in 2013, but he lost that license following his arrest.
Kleine said he will seek the death penalty if Garcia is convicted.
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