Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Father-in-Law at 4th of July Party

Joseph Henry Garcia said his father-in-law, Hermeneglido Parra, had raped his daugther, Garcia's wife, according to court testimony

The man who stabbed his father-in-law at least 36 times at a 4th of July party pleaded guilty Friday to voluntary manslaughter.

Joseph Henry Garcia, 23, admitted to killing Hermeneglido Parra, 54, during a family party in Logan Heights. Parra was found fatally wounded in the 3100 block of National Avenue near Memorial Park.

After the stabbing, Garcia fled with his wife to Mexico, according to prosecutors, but the next day, he crossed back into the U.S. and turned himself in.

At his preliminary hearing, Garcia's brother, James Corella, told the court he was there the night of the stabbing. He said Parra seemed intoxicated and told everyone that all the women who lived in the home "are mine," City News Service reported.

Later that night, Parra said his daughter's unborn child would be a girl and told her he would "give her what I gave her mother," Corella testified, according to CNS.

Soon after that, Garcia stabbed Parra. Garcia later told his brother that Parra had raped his daughter, Garcia's wife, a San Diego police detective said in court.

Garcia faces up to 12 years in prison at his Jan. 22 sentencing, but he could also be sentenced to probation.

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