TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Pinellas Man Pleads Guilty In Boss' Slaying, Gets 27 Years

ADVERTISEMENT

By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2009

TAMPA - A Pinellas County cleaner was sentenced to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty today to killing his boss and setting him and his vehicle on fire.

Jose Valdes, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and arson charges in the death of Rafael "John" Garcia on July 31, 2006.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge William Fuente accepted a plea bargain worked out in the case and sentenced Valdes to 27 years on each charge. The prison terms are to be served concurrently.

After the sentencing, Garcia's widow read a letter she wrote to Valdes.

"There aren't sufficient words in the dictionary that can express how much I despise you," Carmen Naboa told the defendant. "You are a murderer that robbed me of my peace; you robbed me of my life.

"I hate you with all my body. I hate you every single second."

By accepting the plea, Valdes avoided a trial that was set to begin Monday and could have resulted in the death penalty.

Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner said trial testimony would have shown Garcia met Valdes at a St. Petersburg office to pay him. Valdes worked for Garcia's AA Cleaning Concepts Inc.

There was a dispute over money, Pruner said. Garcia was beaten to death, dying from a blow to the head.

Pruner said Valdes loaded Garcia's body into Garcia's 2004 Nissan Armada. Cell phone records show Valdes drove the car to a parking lot at West St. Isabel Street and North Gomez Avenue in Tampa, where the body and SUV were doused with gasoline and ignited. A man walking his dog called firefighters minutes later.

Valdes called his wife to pick him up. She told authorities she saw her husband running from the direction of the burning car. She said he had burns on his legs and face and that his hair was singed. She drove him back to the office building where he picked up his work van.

Valdes fled to California in his mother's car and was arrested at an El Paso, Texas, bus station where he was riding back to Florida.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT