Second jury finds man guilty in 2023 for killing outside Bay Area bar – The Mercury News
After a previous jury failed to reach a verdict in September, a second one this week found a Santa Rosa man guilty of manslaughter in a stabbing outside a local bar three years ago.
A jury of six men and six women deliberated a day before convicting Braulio Garcia III of murdering Asante VanDyke on the morning of February 1, 2023. Garcia is scheduled to return to court Wednesday, February 18, for further deliberations before his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
VanDyke was stabbed to death during an altercation between two groups outside Gary’s Belvedere on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Three of his friends were injured and the jury on Wednesday, February 11, ruled that Garcia also had three counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Two judges, who declined to reveal their names, told the Press Democrat newspaper that they looked at the evidence and the testimony of each witness before reaching their decision. They began deliberating around 10 a.m. Wednesday and the verdict was read just after 4:30 p.m. in Judge Paige Hein’s courtroom.
Garcia’s first trial in September ended with jurors split 6-6 on each count after deliberating for several days. Disputes in both cases centered on whether the killings and attacks were committed by Garcia or a second suspect, Santa Rosa resident Louis Robert Campos.
Garcia and Campos, along with Richard Ponce of Santa Rosa, were identified as suspects in the murder and Campos was not arrested. Garcia’s attorney, Rachel McAllister, argued in each case that Campos was responsible for Asante’s death.
“There is no justice when the wrong man is convicted,” he told jurors during his closing arguments on Monday, Feb. 9.
Prosecutors and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office say the fight was sparked by a bar fight between a friend of VanDyke and Garcia over the victim’s girlfriend.
The three suspects waited outside the bar for VanDyke and his friends, according to prosecutors, and Ponce caused a disturbance that allowed Garcia to “punch-suck” VanDyke before stabbing him in the chest and stomach. Two of VanDyke’s friends were stabbed after breaking in, and one was hit after Ponce fired a gun.
McAllister told jurors that Garcia and his friend quickly resolved their case but two other disputes followed involving members of each party, but not his client. He insisted that Garcia was in a different room when the last incident happened and had no reason to attack VanDyke, while it was Campos who was armed with a knife.
“We’ll never know if Bobby Campos had intent because Bobby Campos was never caught,” he told jurors during his closing arguments Monday.
Prosecutors denied that Campos was guilty.
“Everything points to (Garcia). Everything points to the defendant. Nothing points to Bobby,” Deputy District Attorney Javier Vaca told jurors.
Garcia and Ponce were arrested days after the fight. Ponce later pleaded no contest to two counts of assault and in March was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The case also sparked a lawsuit filed last year by Ponce’s sister and her friend, who said they were wrongfully arrested. The city of Santa Rosa settled the lawsuit in April for $300,000 while denying wrongdoing.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.
