0:01

Due to the graphic nature

0:03

of this story, listener discretion

0:05

is advised. This episode includes

0:08

depictions of killings, child murder,

0:10

violence, substance use, and suicide.

0:13

Consider this when deciding how and when you'll

0:15

listen. To get

0:17

help on mental health

0:19

and suicide, visit spotify.com/resources.

0:26

Don't take no for an answer. Believe

0:30

in yourself. Shoot for the moon. Even

0:32

if you miss, you'll land among the

0:34

stars. For most people, this

0:37

advice is helpful, or at least

0:39

harmless. But Anthony

0:41

Garcia was not most people.

0:44

When he failed to reach his goals,

0:46

he hunted down the people who gave

0:48

him no for an answer. He

0:51

believed in himself so strongly, he

0:53

thought he could get away with

0:56

murder. But instead

0:58

of among the stars, he

1:00

landed on death row.

1:05

I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is

1:07

Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. You

1:09

can find us here every Monday.

1:11

Be sure to check us out

1:13

on Instagram at Serial Killers podcast.

1:17

And we'd love to hear from you, so if

1:19

you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and

1:21

give us your thoughts. Today

1:24

we're covering Anthony J. Garcia,

1:27

an aspiring doctor who

1:29

murdered four people in the mid-2000s.

1:34

Stay with us. Tax

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we get into this story, amongst

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the many sources we used, we

3:19

found... Pathological, the murderous rage of

3:21

Dr. Anthony Garcia by Henry J.

3:24

Cordes and Todd Cooper, extremely helpful

3:26

to our research. From

3:31

his birth in 1973,

3:34

Anthony Garcia's parents dreamed he'd

3:36

be a doctor. It

3:38

didn't matter that he had a reading disorder or

3:41

that as a child he liked the idea

3:43

of being a mathematician. For the

3:45

Garcias, it was doctor or

3:48

bust. So Anthony

3:50

made that his dream too,

3:52

enrolling at California State University

3:54

Los Angeles. He Managed

3:56

to graduate on time, but with average grades at

3:58

the end of the year. Unimpressive am

4:01

cat scores, he wasn't a

4:03

strong candidate for medical school.

4:05

as rejection notices filled his

4:07

inbox. Anthony's future as a

4:10

doctor looked increasingly grim. But

4:12

then in Nineteen Ninety Four,

4:14

he was accepted to the

4:16

University of Utah. Getting

4:20

in was only the first step Brand

4:22

to the med school proved. Arduous.

4:24

He still. Lived with his

4:26

disability, reportedly only reading at a

4:29

fist grade level even with accommodations,

4:31

Anthony failed several classes and was

4:33

even placed on academic probation at

4:36

one point. When. His

4:38

mother visited him on campus. She

4:40

saw the pain behind her son's

4:42

faint smile. See

4:44

may not have realized his unhappiness

4:47

stemmed from being pushed into a

4:49

career. See never won it and

4:51

it appears he didn't want to

4:53

disappoint her with the truth because

4:55

Anthony kept pushing through medical school

4:57

at any. Cost. Without

5:01

any one to confide in,

5:03

Anthony turned to alcohol. A

5:05

few drinks after class quickly

5:08

became a dependence. Reckless behavior

5:10

behind closed doors essentially spilled

5:12

into his performance at the

5:14

hospital where he helped treat

5:16

patients. As a student, both

5:18

patience and professors noted his

5:20

lack of care. One patient

5:23

complained that Anthony made a

5:25

routine that gentle examinations extremely.

5:27

Painful. Nevertheless, Anthony

5:29

managed to graduate in Nineteen

5:31

Ninety Nine, and despite his

5:33

rocky track record, he matched

5:35

into a residency programs That

5:38

summer, Anthony and his father

5:40

loaded all his belongings in

5:42

a car. And drove to New

5:44

York. Their Anthony

5:46

began his residency at Bassett

5:48

St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Almost

5:51

immediately the faculty and staff

5:53

realize that their newest resident

5:55

was on equipped for a

5:57

medical career. More.

6:00

Then once Anthony gave patients

6:02

incorrect prescriptions, for example, getting

6:05

sedative to a patient whose

6:07

chart explicitly stated do not

6:10

sedate. Worse. whenever.

6:12

He made mistakes. Anthony blamed other

6:14

doctors. He showed no remorse and

6:16

couldn't seem to accept that he

6:19

might. Have screwed up. After. Repeated.

6:21

Incidents: The residency director asked

6:23

Anthony to undergo psychological counseling.

6:26

It's unclear if he ever attended

6:29

any sessions, but his behavior did

6:31

not improve. Not

6:33

long after, Anthony was tasked

6:35

with caring for a twelve

6:37

year old patients. He stood

6:40

idol than the exam room

6:42

ignoring the child. When a

6:44

radiology technician entered and asked

6:46

what was happening, Anthony exploded

6:48

screaming expletives. Naturally, the radiologist

6:51

reported Anthony. But as

6:53

the hospital prepared for a

6:55

disciplinary hearing, Anthony resigned, It

6:57

looked better to quit them

6:59

get fired. Anthony sulked

7:01

back to his parents' home

7:03

and California, and perhaps under

7:06

his parents' influence, applied to

7:08

more residency programs. On.

7:10

Each application he conveniently left

7:12

out his exit from Bassett

7:14

same Elizabeth Medical Center. So.

7:17

In July two thousand Creighton

7:19

University and Omaha Nebraska Naive

7:22

Li opened it's doors to

7:24

Anthony Garcia. In.

7:26

Creighton defense Anthony seem to turn

7:28

over a new lease. During his

7:30

first rotation, he received a stellar

7:32

review from a supervising faculty member.

7:35

He. Was apparently well mannered and

7:38

detail oriented. Not long after

7:40

starting, Anthony posed for photos.

7:42

Wearing a pristine white lab coat

7:45

and gazing into a microscope. Then

7:47

send them off to his parents. Who

7:49

were thrilled? Unfortunately,

7:53

The facade didn't last

7:56

long. Anthony remained unqualified.

7:58

for a residency and it showed.

8:00

Eventually, the repeated mistakes

8:02

led to angry outbursts, just

8:05

like at Bassett. A

8:08

few months in, it was time for Anthony's

8:10

first review. One attending

8:13

physician was particularly outspoken,

8:15

Dr. Shonda Butra. Dr.

8:18

Butra took a no-nonsense approach to her

8:20

role at Creighton. She held residents to

8:23

a high standard, determined to prepare them

8:25

for the demands placed on a physician.

8:28

She wasn't afraid to go

8:30

into critical detail about Anthony's

8:32

unprofessionalism and questionable lab techniques.

8:35

Her review was so alarming, it

8:38

alerted the director of the pathology

8:40

residency program, Dr. Bill Hunter. As

8:43

the residency director, Dr. Hunter was

8:45

often charged with mentoring struggling

8:47

students, guiding them through

8:50

the program with kindness and understanding.

8:53

In January 2001, Dr. Hunter

8:55

met with Anthony to review

8:57

Dr. Butra's scathing assessment. In

9:00

the meeting, Anthony was defensive,

9:02

insisting that Dr. Butra was

9:04

plotting his downfall. A

9:07

month later, in February, Dr.

9:09

Butra filed another negative review.

9:12

In response, Anthony berated her

9:14

in public. Shocked

9:17

Dr. Butra spoke to Creighton's department

9:19

heads, Anthony wasn't a

9:21

fit for Creighton. He needed to

9:23

be let go. However, it

9:25

was hard to convince Dr. Hunter.

9:27

He hoped to reform Anthony and

9:29

give him another chance. The

9:32

chair of the pathology department, Dr.

9:35

Roger Brumbach, was critical of this

9:37

soft-handed approach. But

9:39

the department agreed to let Dr. Hunter

9:41

work with Anthony Garcia a while

9:43

longer. Shortly

9:47

after, Dr. Hunter sat in on an

9:49

autopsy. During the procedure,

9:51

Anthony misdiagnosed the cause of

9:53

death. When a faculty member

9:55

offered feedback, Anthony's response

9:58

was belligerent. used

10:00

to adjust his analysis. Just

10:03

days later, he conducted another

10:05

autopsy. Anthony opened the

10:07

body in front of him and performed

10:09

the usual procedure, but what

10:11

he did next was far from standard.

10:15

He flipped the body over, on

10:17

its stomach, and left it there

10:19

for the night. And

10:21

this time, there was no attending doctor on

10:23

site to correct him. When

10:26

the funeral home director came for the body

10:28

the following day, the corpse

10:30

was completely disfigured. All

10:33

of the body's fluids had flowed

10:35

downward, swelling the face up like

10:37

a balloon. Not only

10:39

was this embarrassing for Creighton, it

10:41

made the family's loss even

10:43

more painful. Now,

10:46

Dr. Hunter, Dr. Brumbach, and

10:48

Dr. Butra were in full

10:51

agreement. Anthony Garcia

10:53

did not belong at Creighton.

10:58

Still, Dr. Hunter's heart went out for

11:00

the troubled resident. As far as he

11:02

knew, this was Anthony's first attempt at

11:04

a residency. Maybe he'd do

11:06

better at a different hospital. So,

11:09

Dr. Hunter made a generous

11:11

proposition. Pending any mishaps, he

11:13

would allow Anthony to complete

11:15

his first year at Creighton and

11:17

gain a certificate for a year of

11:20

training. Though his contract would

11:22

not be renewed for a second year,

11:24

the certificate would help him apply to

11:26

other residencies. All he

11:28

asked was that Anthony apologize

11:30

to Dr. Butra. Anthony

11:33

agreed to apologize, but deep

11:36

down he housed resentment, blaming

11:38

Dr. Hunter and Dr. Butra

11:40

for his perceived problems. For

11:43

the next few months, Anthony seemed to hold up

11:46

his end of the agreement. He

11:48

even received a positive review that May,

11:50

but just two days later,

11:53

Anthony Garcia lashed out again.

12:00

department's chief resident's wife received

12:02

a disturbing phone call. Her

12:05

husband needed to drop what he was

12:07

doing and report to Creighton University immediately.

12:10

Failure to do so would result in his termination.

12:14

At that time, the chief resident was

12:16

sitting for an important exam. He couldn't

12:18

drop everything and leave. Knowing

12:20

this, the wife made some more phone

12:22

calls seeking more information. She

12:25

discovered that none of Creighton's faculty

12:27

or staff knew what she was

12:29

talking about, but they all

12:31

knew about the exam. The

12:34

call was a clear attempt at sabotage,

12:36

and it didn't take long to unveil

12:38

the caller, Anthony Garcia.

12:43

This time, Dr. Hunter's response

12:46

was immediate and unsparing. On

12:49

May 22, 2001, he and Dr. Brumbach

12:52

called Anthony into the office. They

12:54

fired him on the spot. Anthony

12:58

gathered his belongings and left Creighton

13:00

quietly, but he didn't leave empty-handed.

13:03

Dr. Hunter provided letters of

13:06

recommendation. It may

13:08

be hard to understand, but generosity was

13:10

Dr. Hunter's standard mode of operation. To

13:13

him, there was good in all people.

13:16

Everyone deserved a second chance. Dr.

13:18

Hunter believed a different program could

13:20

provide the environment Anthony needed to

13:22

flourish. Years later,

13:25

he said this was overly

13:27

optimistic. The tone

13:29

of the letters were general enough

13:31

to avoid damning information, but hopeful

13:34

enough to convince admissions committees that

13:36

Anthony had a future. It

13:39

worked. In July 2001, Anthony

13:42

set out for residency number three

13:44

at the University of Illinois College

13:47

of Medicine, and for the first

13:49

year, it seemed like Dr. Hunter may have been

13:51

right. Creighton just wasn't a

13:53

good fit. But

13:56

Anthony Garcia had Bigger battles than

13:58

school selection. Throughout the

14:01

beginning of Two Thousand and Three,

14:03

he visited the hospital for suicidal

14:05

ideations and a homicidal thoughts aimed

14:08

at his colleagues. He was treated

14:10

with electroconvulsive therapy, but it wasn't

14:12

effective Before Two Thousand and Three

14:15

came to a close, He left

14:17

the residency and returned to his

14:19

parents' home and California, where he

14:22

faced. More disappointments. The

14:25

cost of repeated hospitalization and

14:27

Chicago had put him eighty

14:29

thousand dollars in debt. In.

14:33

Two thousand and five. He filed

14:35

for bankruptcy and applied for disability

14:37

and come. Around this

14:39

time he survived a suicide

14:41

attempt. But

14:44

instead of finding a new. Direction for

14:46

a second chance at life.

14:48

Anthony Garcia followed the same

14:50

old story. Astonishingly, he managed

14:52

and residency number for works

14:54

at Louisiana State University. In

14:56

the summer of two thousand

14:59

and seven, he moved to

15:01

Shreveport. And started the program. That.

15:03

In February two thousand and eight,

15:06

the Louisiana State Medical Board discovered

15:08

one of the many skeletons in

15:10

his closet. After reaching out. To

15:13

Doctor Bill Hunter at Creighton

15:15

University for some verification documents.

15:17

They learned of Anthony's firing.

15:21

While. The letters had been big

15:24

in conversation doctor Hunter had

15:26

to be specific. When

15:29

the state Licensing board communicated

15:31

this finding to Louisiana State

15:33

University, the school administrators realized

15:35

that Anthony never disclosed the

15:38

full details. of his crate

15:40

and residency. On his application,

15:42

this omission constituted grounds for

15:45

removal on February twenty. Sixth,

15:47

Two thousand and eight less than

15:49

a year into his fourth residency.

15:51

Thirty four year old Anthony

15:54

was fired for the third

15:56

time. and once again

15:59

anthony was refused to accept that he

16:01

might be at fault, he blamed

16:03

Dr. Hunter. Even

16:06

though the doctor had been exceptionally

16:08

kind and considerate, Anthony Garcia

16:11

felt like he deserved

16:13

revenge. In

16:17

the week that followed, Anthony bought

16:19

a smoke-colored license plate shield to

16:21

distort his car's identifying numbers and

16:23

withdrew $300 cash from a bank in Shreveport for the next

16:28

week he'd be untraceable.

16:31

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16:34

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17:17

March 2008, Anthony

17:19

Garcia arrived in Omaha,

17:21

Nebraska. He had alcohol

17:23

on his breath and revenge on

17:25

his mind. Around

17:29

3.20pm on March 13, his

17:31

silver Honda CR-V crept up

17:34

a peaceful suburban street, which

17:36

didn't go unnoticed. One of the neighbors

17:39

pulled up behind him. She observed the

17:41

pinkish color of the out-of-state license plate

17:43

but couldn't make out the number through

17:45

the smokescreen. The slow

17:47

crawl of the CR-V was strange, but

17:49

she wasn't too suspicious. There had been

17:52

plenty of homes for sale recently. They were

17:54

probably looking for the right address for an

17:56

open house. When

17:58

Anthony finally reached his destination, he

18:00

peered into the rearview mirror at the woman

18:03

in the car behind him. In

18:05

the reflection, their eyes met. The neighbor

18:07

got a glimpse of Anthony, a

18:10

man with black hair and olive

18:12

skin. Nervous, Anthony

18:14

quickly pulled his car forward up

18:16

the street until the woman in the

18:19

car behind him disappeared. Anthony

18:24

turned onto the next street over and

18:26

parked. Sitting

18:29

in his car, Anthony went over

18:31

his plan again. He didn't want to

18:33

be seen. What he

18:35

didn't realize was that no matter where

18:37

he walked, residents would take notice. In

18:40

a mostly white neighborhood, his brown

18:42

skin stood out. In

18:44

fact, Anthony's parked car was immediately

18:46

noticed by another neighbor who watched

18:49

it through her window. She

18:51

saw Anthony exit his car and walk

18:53

up the street. Her

18:55

curious eyes followed until he crossed over

18:57

to the next street and out of

19:00

her sight. There,

19:02

Anthony was immediately spotted by

19:04

another local resident walking the opposite

19:06

direction. That neighbor saw him

19:08

approach a home and ring the doorbell.

19:12

It was Dr. Hunter's home. But

19:17

Dr. Hunter didn't answer the door.

19:19

His 11-year-old son, Tom,

19:22

did. From outside, the

19:24

neighbor saw Tom open the door and

19:26

say hello to Anthony. Figuring

19:28

the two knew each other, the neighbor carried

19:30

on down the street. It's

19:32

likely Anthony asked Tom if his father was

19:35

home. He wasn't. It

19:37

was just Tom and the family

19:39

housekeeper, 57-year-old Shirley

19:41

Sherman. Anthony Garcia

19:44

had driven over 700 miles to Dr.

19:46

Hunter's home. Leaving now

19:49

would only create loose ends. Tom

19:52

might tell his father about Anthony's

19:54

visit and aroused suspicion. Around that

19:56

point, a thought crystallized

19:59

in Anthony's mind. The

20:02

pain of one's own death can't

20:04

compare to the pain of living

20:06

in the wake of a loved

20:09

one's death. Here

20:11

was Anthony's opportunity to make Dr.

20:13

Hunter suffer in a way that

20:15

would haunt him for the rest

20:17

of his life. At

20:20

that moment, 11-year-old Tom

20:22

became the new target. It's

20:28

unclear whether Anthony convinced Tom to let

20:31

him inside or he forced his way

20:33

in, but somehow Anthony

20:35

got into the kitchen, grabbed one

20:37

of the Hunter's knives, and stabbed

20:40

Tom in the neck. Surely

20:43

the housekeeper entered the

20:45

room to see Anthony

20:47

standing over Tom's lifeless

20:49

body. It's unclear whether Anthony

20:51

knew there was another person in the house

20:53

until this moment, but when he

20:55

came face to face with Shirley, he

20:57

lurched at her. Shirley

20:59

ran down the hall towards the back

21:01

door, but Anthony was quicker. He

21:04

stabbed Shirley in the neck with an

21:06

even bigger knife. In the

21:08

span of 10 minutes, his

21:11

revenge was complete. Out

21:14

the front door, Anthony walked calmly back

21:16

to his car. Then he sped

21:18

towards his parents' home in California.

21:22

Two hours later, around 5.45 p.m., Dr.

21:24

Hunter arrived home to devastation.

21:30

The entire scene

21:32

struck him as surreal. The

21:35

music from Tom's Xbox game was

21:37

still playing. Dr. Hunter

21:39

made his way to the kitchen and dialed 911.

21:43

He calmly spoke to the operator, who

21:45

instructed him to exit the home and

21:47

wait on the front porch for the police. In

21:51

the cool night air, Dr.

21:53

Hunter's shock faded to grief.

21:55

He couldn't bring himself to call his wife. He

22:00

stood in silence until Detective Derek

22:02

Moyce from the Omaha Police Department

22:05

arrived. A

22:07

34-year-old homicide detective, Moyce

22:09

was adept at uncovering

22:11

the intricacies of crime scenes. He

22:14

took detailed notes, no

22:16

valuables taken, no fingerprints,

22:19

identical knife wounds, expertly

22:21

done. This was likely

22:24

a premeditated murder. The

22:27

autopsy and lab results confirmed

22:29

his suspicion. In both

22:31

victims, the carotid artery and jugular

22:33

vein were severed, and there was

22:35

no residual DNA from the killer.

22:38

The neighbors' first-hand accounts gave them

22:41

a suspect description, a

22:43

heavyset man with olive skin and

22:45

dark hair. But

22:47

without any physical evidence, the detective's

22:50

best bet was to see who

22:52

might have motive to harm Tom,

22:54

Shirley, or Dr. Hunter.

22:57

Detectives began by interviewing Dr. Hunter,

22:59

who came into the police station

23:02

a mere hour after his son's

23:04

death. Officers urged him to

23:06

think of anyone who may want to hurt him

23:08

or his family. They specifically

23:11

asked him to consider residents

23:13

and colleagues at Creighton University's

23:15

teaching hospital. Dr. Hunter

23:17

struggled to come up with any names.

23:20

As the director of the pathology

23:22

residency, he took pride in building

23:24

good relationships with faculty and students.

23:28

Even among the residents who weren't successful

23:30

in the program, he was

23:32

respected and beloved. But

23:34

Dr. Hunter was determined to find

23:37

his son's killer. He

23:39

recruited his colleague Dr. Brumbach,

23:41

and together they reviewed the

23:43

files of every single resident

23:45

who'd attended the pathology program since

23:47

1990. They

23:51

stopped on the name of a Russian student

23:53

who'd left the program a few months

23:55

before. Several faculty members

23:58

found him strange and ingenious.

24:00

intimidating. When Dr. Brumbach

24:02

insisted Dr. Hunter make the

24:04

resident take a psychological evaluation,

24:06

he filed a complaint for

24:08

employment discrimination. It

24:10

was Dr. Hunter's caring personality that

24:13

put an end to the scandal. He

24:15

helped the Russian resident find another

24:17

job. In turn, he dropped the

24:19

complaint. But

24:22

perhaps he'd changed his mind. Detective

24:24

Moyse and lead investigator Scott Warner

24:27

tracked down the Russian resident, but

24:29

they found he had a strong

24:31

alibi. He'd sent an

24:33

email from his work computer in

24:35

Pittsburgh hours before the massacre. But

24:39

they found another lead from Creighton.

24:41

An administrator called the police to

24:43

report her own list of suspects,

24:46

including Anthony Garcia.

24:51

On March 17th, 2008, just

24:54

four days after the murder, two

24:56

officers visited the administrator. When

24:59

questioned, she mentioned the prank call

25:01

Anthony made, resulting in his firing.

25:03

To the officers, Anthony's

25:05

mischief seemed benign. They wrote his

25:07

name down, but never followed up

25:09

on the tip. For

25:11

the next two months, the

25:13

investigation stalled. In May,

25:15

Dr. Hunter emailed police the names of

25:18

two individuals he fired from Creighton

25:20

years ago. They'd left

25:22

quietly and years before, so

25:25

hadn't come to mind in his initial sit

25:27

down with Dr. Brumbach. One

25:29

of those residents was Anthony Garcia.

25:33

But somehow that tip didn't make it

25:35

to Detective Moyse. He spent the rest

25:37

of 2008 chasing

25:40

dead ends, like Shirley's

25:42

daughter's boyfriend and people Tom talked

25:44

to on Xbox Live. In

25:47

early 2009, with all the major leads exhausted,

25:50

the investigation into Tom and

25:53

Shirley's murders was transferred to

25:55

the cold case unit. Meanwhile,

26:00

Anthony Garcia continued trying to

26:02

become a doctor. By

26:04

March 2009, a year after

26:06

the murders, Anthony had moved

26:09

to Illinois, where he'd previously secured

26:11

a temporary medical license. This

26:14

gave him access to contract jobs across

26:16

the state, where he primarily performed

26:19

health screenings for patients at clinics.

26:22

By 2010, Anthony had

26:24

obtained another temporary license. Soon

26:27

he began working at a federal prison

26:29

in Terre Haute, Indiana, providing health care

26:31

to inmates. Apparently this

26:33

was more lucrative than his roles in

26:36

Illinois, and the job enabled Anthony to

26:38

buy his first home. He

26:40

followed up by purchasing a black

26:42

Mercedes SUV and a

26:44

Ferrari. At the

26:46

same time, Anthony finally pursued

26:48

treatment for alcoholism. He

26:51

even prescribed himself antidepressants

26:53

and antipsychotics. But

26:56

Anthony struggled to stay sober. After

26:59

work, he'd head to the local gentleman's

27:01

club and knock back beers while watching

27:04

dancers, who affectionately called him

27:06

Dr. Tony. At

27:08

the club, Anthony was admired and

27:10

praised, something he never got in

27:12

his professional life. One

27:15

evening, under the influence of alcohol and

27:17

the compliments of paid dancers, Anthony

27:19

bragged about his double murder.

27:23

The dancer he hoped to

27:25

impress, Cecilia Hoffman, laughed

27:27

awkwardly. She assumed Anthony

27:30

invented the heinous story for attention.

27:33

Though Anthony was getting plenty of attention,

27:35

without making up stories. Throughout

27:41

2011 and early 2012, Anthony

27:45

often showed up to work intoxicated.

27:47

He got aggressive with colleagues and

27:50

supervisors, and once sent his boss

27:52

a threatening voicemail. After

27:54

countless incidents, he was forced to

27:56

resign in the summer of 2012. As

28:00

usual, Anthony Garcia kept trying to

28:02

work as a doctor. This

28:05

time he applied for a permanent medical

28:07

license in the state of Indiana. It

28:11

didn't take the state medical

28:13

board long to dig up

28:16

Anthony's past. In September 2012,

28:18

they contacted Creighton University's chair

28:20

of pathology, Dr. Roger Brumbach.

28:23

He'd helped in Anthony's firing

28:25

and offered an honest reflection

28:27

on Anthony's untimely exit from the

28:29

school. Three months later,

28:31

in December 2012, the board

28:33

denied 39-year-old Anthony's application. Though

28:38

they never revealed the name of the

28:40

Creighton faculty member who provided the records,

28:43

they might have mentioned that his

28:45

time in the residency program influenced

28:47

their decision. Enraged,

28:50

Anthony blamed Dr. Chanda

28:53

Butra, his supervisor from

28:55

Creighton. He believed Dr.

28:57

Butra's negative reviews were the source

28:59

of his misery. Anthony

29:02

continued to drink, showing up to

29:04

work under the influence and belligerent.

29:07

On January 2, 2013,

29:09

he was fired from another

29:12

medical job in Indiana, which kicked

29:14

off a spiral. On

29:16

January 5, days after

29:19

his firing, he was admitted to

29:21

the hospital three different times for

29:23

a blood alcohol content well over

29:26

the legal limit. The

29:30

next month was a spree of emergency

29:32

room visits, 911 calls,

29:35

and public intoxication. Anthony's

29:38

self-prescribed antidepressants and antipsychotics

29:40

only exacerbated the alcohol's

29:43

effects. All

29:45

the while, Anthony's rage at

29:47

Dr. Butra stewed until

29:50

he decided it was time for

29:52

more revenge. On

29:57

January 10, 2013, Anthony

30:00

Garcia conducted an internet search

30:03

for home residence

30:05

Butra, Omaha, Nebraska. Just

30:08

five years earlier, he'd begun his

30:10

revenge the same way by carefully

30:12

seeking out Dr. Hunter's address. Now,

30:15

his second murder plot was

30:18

taking form. But

30:20

he was less careful this time

30:22

around. On

30:24

March 8, 2013,

30:27

Anthony entered a store in Terre

30:29

Haute and left with a semi-automatic

30:32

pistol. This was a

30:34

stark difference from the past two murders.

30:36

A gun was traceable. Two

30:38

months later, in May 2013, Anthony

30:42

drove his Black Mercedes SUV

30:44

to Omaha. His objective

30:46

was simple. Punish

30:48

Dr. Butra for standing in

30:51

the way of his success. Fortunately,

30:56

when Anthony pulled up to Dr. Butra's

30:58

residence on May 12, 2013, she and

31:00

her husband were out on a

31:02

lunch date. When

31:06

the couple returned, they saw signs

31:08

of an attempted break-in. Across

31:11

town, Anthony Garcia sat in

31:13

his car in a wingstop

31:15

parking lot, still stewing. On

31:18

his phone, he searched for another address.

31:21

That of Dr. Roger

31:23

Brumbach. It turned out

31:25

he lived just a few miles away.

31:28

And he was home, painting his

31:31

foyer. The 65-year-old doctor and

31:33

his wife were in the process

31:35

of selling their house and moving

31:37

to West Virginia. The house

31:39

was full of boxes. Around

31:42

3 p.m. on May 12, 2013,

31:45

Dr. Brumbach's painting was interrupted by a knock

31:48

at the door. He opened

31:50

it to find Anthony Garcia holding

31:52

a gun. Dr.

31:55

Brumbach managed to grab the weapon before

31:58

Anthony could squeeze the trigger. But

32:00

Anthony fought back, regaining his grip

32:03

on the gun in Dr. Brumbach's

32:05

hands. In the struggle,

32:07

Anthony fired three shots. One

32:10

of the bullets entered Dr. Brumbach's

32:12

leg, another entered his

32:15

shoulder, the third was fatal,

32:17

penetrating his liver. After

32:21

that shot, the magazine fell out

32:23

of the gun, clattering to the floor.

32:26

Dr. Brumbach's wife, Mary, heard the

32:29

shots. She ran to the door

32:31

to find her husband bleeding out.

32:34

To her horror, Anthony ran at

32:36

her. He hit Mary across

32:38

the head with the unloaded gun, knocking

32:41

her down. Then

32:43

Anthony ran to the kitchen and

32:45

returned with two knives. Mary

32:48

held up her arms to defend

32:50

herself, but Anthony stabbed her neck.

32:53

Like Tom Hunter and Shirley

32:56

Sherman, Mary Brumbach died of

32:58

a severed carotid artery. Though

33:01

Dr. Brumbach was likely already dead,

33:04

Anthony stabbed Dr. Brumbach in

33:06

the neck six times, again

33:09

severing the carotid artery. Just

33:13

minutes later, Anthony Garcia got

33:15

back into his SUV and

33:18

disappeared onto Interstate Two

33:30

days after Anthony Garcia killed Roger

33:32

and Mary Brumbach, movers arrived to

33:34

take an old piano off the

33:37

couple's hands. When no

33:39

one answered their knocks, one of

33:41

the men opened the front door and

33:44

saw the magazine that had fallen out

33:46

of Anthony's pistol, seeing the rest

33:48

of the house, the man called 911. When

33:53

local detectives Derrick Moyce and

33:55

Scott Warner arrived, they noticed

33:57

something peculiar. The knife wounds

33:59

and Mr. and Mrs.

34:01

Brumbach's necks were reminiscent of

34:04

another double murder from five

34:06

years earlier. The

34:10

lead was confirmed when they learned

34:12

Dr. Brumbach was a pathologist at

34:14

Creighton University, just like

34:17

Dr. Hunter. Their suspect

34:19

was a serial killer on

34:21

the hunt for doctors. So

34:24

detectives Mois and Warner paid Dr.

34:26

Hunter a visit. The

34:30

doctor was beside himself to learn

34:32

of his colleagues fate. Ultimately,

34:34

his answers didn't offer any

34:36

significant clues. But a

34:39

phone call the next day did. After

34:41

learning of Dr. Brumbach's murder, Dr.

34:44

Butra became suspicious of the

34:46

attempted break-in at her home. Her

34:48

husband contacted authorities, who hurried to

34:50

the Butra home to collect DNA

34:52

samples and dust for fingerprints. Detectives

34:56

Mois and Warner were convinced the

34:58

killer was targeting Creighton physicians even

35:00

before the labs came back. And

35:03

so was the police chief. They created

35:06

a task force of 21 investigators. Weeks

35:13

later, on May

35:15

27, 2013, Detective Mois

35:17

found a link, Anthony

35:19

Garcia. His resignation

35:22

letter had been signed by Dr.

35:24

Hunter and Dr. Brumbach.

35:26

And there were records detailing the conflict

35:29

between Anthony Garcia and Dr.

35:31

Butra. Anthony

35:33

had a motive to kill

35:36

all three pathologists. And

35:38

records turned up showing that he'd owned

35:40

a silver CRV, matching

35:43

the one reported by the Hunter's neighbors.

35:48

On May 30, 2013, Mois pulled two

35:51

detectives from the task force aside. He

35:53

wanted them to help him dig deeper

35:55

into Anthony. Together, the

35:57

offshoot team uncovered Anthony's emails,

36:00

financial records, and phone

36:02

calls. They found a heap

36:04

of evidence, including the gun he purchased

36:06

in March 2013 and his wingstop order

36:09

in Omaha during

36:12

the short window between the Butra break-in

36:14

and the Brumbach murders. Even

36:16

his cell phone records lined up.

36:19

It was enough for a warrant. In

36:22

addition, the police were granted access

36:24

to GPS tracking to keep an

36:26

eye on Anthony's movements. On

36:29

July 14, 2013, the task force detectives flew

36:34

to Indiana with plans to enter Anthony's

36:36

home with the help of the local

36:39

SWAT team. But by the

36:41

time their plane landed, the GPS

36:43

showed that Anthony was two hours

36:45

away in Illinois and

36:48

driving further south. The

36:51

FBI gave chase. They sped an

36:53

unmarked car toward the moving GPS

36:55

pin, finally stopping in

36:58

Salem, Illinois. There,

37:00

they found Anthony's car parked

37:02

outside a motel. The

37:05

agents booked a hotel across the street where

37:07

they could watch the parking lot from their

37:09

window. They also called

37:11

a nearby FBI field office in

37:13

Illinois for backup. Their

37:15

plan was to get a few hours of rest,

37:18

then wake up at 5 AM

37:20

to monitor Anthony throughout the day, waiting

37:22

for a safe time to arrest him.

37:26

The team considered him armed and

37:28

dangerous, so they needed to move

37:30

with caution. But

37:32

while the officers slept,

37:35

Anthony disappeared onto the interstate.

37:37

By the time the agents woke up

37:39

and noticed Anthony's car was missing, he

37:41

was long gone. Panicked,

37:44

the agents raced south following the

37:46

new trail until their

37:48

GPS tracker alerted them that

37:51

Anthony had once again changed

37:53

his route. Perhaps he'd gotten

37:56

lost or he realized he was

37:58

being followed. to

38:00

go north unnoticed for about 30

38:02

minutes. A

38:05

dizzying car chase ensued. Anthony kept

38:07

changing direction. Worse, he kept inching

38:10

closer to the Missouri state line.

38:12

If he crossed it, they'd have

38:14

to involve police in another state,

38:17

which would take more time and

38:19

coordination. So the agents

38:21

made a snap decision. Arrest

38:23

him now. By

38:26

coincidence, Anthony pulled off on the

38:28

exit right where Illinois authorities were

38:30

already stationed. He saw them

38:32

and sped back onto the highway

38:35

where he was quickly surrounded, trapped

38:37

on the interstate. He

38:40

had no choice but to come out of the car with

38:42

his hands up, reeking of

38:44

alcohol. On

38:48

July 15th, officers charged Anthony

38:50

Garcia with driving under the

38:52

influence and placed him behind

38:55

bars. As he settled

38:57

into his cell in Jonesboro, Illinois,

38:59

he received news from detectives Mois

39:01

and Warner. They had a

39:03

warrant for his arrest in Omaha, charging

39:06

him with four counts of first-degree

39:09

murder and four counts

39:11

of felony weapon use. Hearing

39:14

this, Anthony remained suspiciously calm

39:16

like he had during his

39:18

firing from Creighton University. With

39:24

Anthony in custody in Illinois,

39:26

detectives searched his Terre Haute

39:28

home. It was relatively empty,

39:30

as if he'd been preparing to move. The

39:33

bare rooms made the search painless,

39:35

but not any less bizarre. On

39:38

the dining room table, they found

39:40

neat stacks of Anthony's personal documents,

39:43

including his medical license and the deed

39:45

to his house. In

39:47

the kitchen sink, detectives discovered

39:49

a garbage bag filled with

39:51

papers. It was soaking

39:54

in an unidentifiable chemical, likely a

39:56

fluid meant to dissolve the bag

39:58

and its contents. Detectives

40:00

were able to retrieve and read most

40:02

of the documents inside. They

40:05

showed a collection of Anthony's failures,

40:08

his termination letter from Creighton,

40:10

the scathing review from Dr.

40:12

Butra, and rejections from various

40:15

medical licensing departments. There

40:17

were even documents revealing that

40:19

his house was entering foreclosure, which

40:21

explained the emptiness. Alongside

40:24

it, they found research on

40:26

how to succeed in identity

40:28

theft. The most startling

40:30

discovery was a collection of handwritten

40:32

notes. One sheet

40:34

of paper included what seemed to

40:36

be a step-by-step layout of a

40:39

revenge plot. Invade

40:41

rich house, torture,

40:44

murder, jack, rich

40:46

children, gun, invade,

40:49

kill, knife, garage,

40:52

kidnap family, torture,

40:55

kill. It seemed

40:57

that even after the double

41:00

homicides, Anthony's hunger for vengeance

41:02

was unsated. With a

41:04

slew of residencies and jobs he'd been

41:06

fired from, there were countless potential

41:08

victims out there. But

41:12

true horror unveiled itself when

41:14

Detective Moise and Warner impounded

41:16

and searched Anthony's Mercedes

41:18

SUV. Inside,

41:21

they found a crowbar,

41:23

a sledgehammer, gloves, and

41:25

a map with directions to

41:27

Shreveport, Louisiana, where Anthony

41:30

had attempted his fourth medical

41:32

residency at Louisiana State University.

41:35

Detectives also found his old

41:37

Louisiana State University lab coat.

41:40

It was odd that Anthony had it

41:43

in his car, given that he hadn't

41:45

needed it for over five years. Even

41:48

odder, the car also included

41:50

directions from Shreveport to

41:52

New Orleans and instructions

41:55

on how to rent a fishing

41:57

boat in the city. Anthony had

41:59

been fired. been heading south

42:01

to kill again. With

42:06

this realization, detectives were even

42:09

more eager to press murder charges. Though

42:11

it wasn't cut and dry, they still couldn't

42:14

find the gun used to attack the Brumbacks,

42:16

and it would be nearly impossible to pin

42:19

Anthony for the crimes without it. In

42:21

September 2014, Detective

42:24

Warner checked if any police departments

42:26

between Omaha and Tara Hoke had

42:28

found a gun. Sure

42:32

enough, back in July 2013, a

42:34

sheriff in Illinois had been alerted

42:36

to an abandoned firearm on the

42:38

side of the highway. He

42:41

confiscated it and ran the serial number

42:43

through the police database. But

42:45

his search came up empty. No

42:48

one had reported this gun missing, so

42:50

the sheriff put the gun in storage.

42:53

The serial number stayed in the

42:55

database. Until September

42:57

2014, when investigators in Omaha

43:00

typed in the serial number

43:02

of the gun, purchased by

43:05

Anthony Garcia. Stunned

43:08

at their luck, Detective Mois and

43:10

three colleagues drove to Illinois to

43:13

retrieve the literal smoking gun. Along

43:17

the way, they stopped at the strip

43:19

clubs that Anthony had frequented in Tara

43:21

Hoke. That's where

43:23

they found Cecilia Hoffman, the dancer

43:25

Anthony had confessed to. She

43:28

agreed to testify. When

43:32

Anthony Garcia's defense team got wind

43:34

of this, they hired a PI

43:36

to visit and speak with her.

43:40

Though she was shaken, Cecilia gave her

43:42

testimony in October 2016 in the murder

43:44

trial for Anthony Garcia,

43:47

recounting his haunting confession.

43:51

On cross-examination, Anthony's

43:53

lawyer assassinated Cecilia's

43:55

character. At one point, he

43:58

even screamed in the courtroom. The

44:00

judge put a stop to it, but

44:02

the entire scene made the jurors visibly

44:04

uncomfortable. On the

44:07

other hand, Anthony Garcia seemed fully

44:09

checked out, even appearing to sleep

44:11

during his own trial, which

44:14

took a turn in the prosecution's favor.

44:17

Dr. Chanda Butra, Dr. Bill Hunter,

44:20

Detective Moise, and the county

44:22

coroner all gave statements. On

44:26

the stand, the coroner illuminated

44:28

the severed carotid artery in

44:30

all four victims, a

44:32

precise hit that only someone with medical

44:34

knowledge would have used. On

44:37

October 25, 2016, the jury began deliberations. One

44:44

day later, 43-year-old Anthony

44:46

Garcia was found guilty

44:48

of four first-degree murders

44:51

and four counts of using a weapon

44:53

to commit a felony. Relief

44:56

swelled through the courtroom as Tom

44:59

Hunter's mother and another one of

45:01

her sons embraced, and

45:03

Shirley Sherman's family cried. Still,

45:07

grief sat alongside this moment

45:10

of justice. They'd never

45:12

get back the four people Anthony

45:15

killed. Anthony's

45:17

mother also cried, leaning into

45:19

the shoulder of her husband as they

45:21

dealt with a different pain. Their

45:24

son had amounted to the polar

45:26

opposite of what they'd dreamt for

45:28

him. Two

45:33

years later, on September 14,

45:38

2018, Anthony Garcia was brought to

45:40

the courtroom in a wheelchair for

45:42

sentencing. The freshly shaven appearance he

45:44

had throughout the trial was gone,

45:47

replaced with long, curly black

45:49

hair and an unruly

45:51

salt-and-pepper beard. Now

45:53

45 and without

45:55

money for defense attorneys, Anthony

45:57

was represented by public defenders that

46:00

pushed a sentimental narrative. In their

46:02

eyes, Anthony was thrust into a

46:04

career he never wanted by his

46:07

parents, the stress of

46:09

which led to alcoholism and mental

46:11

health conditions. That

46:13

defense strategy failed. Anthony

46:16

Garcia was sentenced to the

46:18

death penalty and transported to

46:21

death row in Nebraska. As

46:23

of 2024, he remains there. Thanks

46:34

for listening to Serial Killers, a

46:36

Spotify podcast. We're here with a new

46:38

episode every Monday. Be sure to

46:41

check us out on Instagram, at Serial Killers

46:43

podcast. And we'd love to hear from you.

46:45

So if you're listening on the Spotify app,

46:47

swipe up and give us your thoughts. Amongst

46:51

the many sources we used,

46:53

we found Pathological, the murderous

46:55

rage of Dr. Anthony Garcia

46:57

by Henry J. Cordes and

47:00

Todd Cooper. Extremely helpful to

47:02

our research. Stay

47:04

safe out there. Serial

47:07

Killers is a Spotify podcast. This

47:10

episode was written by Courtney

47:12

Taylor, edited by Maggie Admire

47:14

and Lauren Delisle, researched by

47:16

Chelsea Wood, fact checked by

47:18

Bennett Logan and sound designed

47:20

by Kelly Gary. Our

47:22

head of programming is Julian Barro. Our head of

47:25

production is Nick Johnson and Spencer

47:28

Howard is our post-production supervisor.

47:30

I'm your host, Vanessa Richardson.