LONG BEACH, Calif. (KNX) — A Corona man accused of fatally shooting a woman and injuring her husband in Long Beach in an argument over the 2016 presidential election was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison on Monday.
John Kevin McVoy, Jr., 40, shot and killed 33-year-old Susan Garcia in January of 2017. She, McVoy, and her husband, Victor Garcia, were gathered at the Garcia home in the 6300 block of Knight Avenue in North Long Beach at the time of the incident. All three participated in a garage band together. Two other bandmates were present at the home that day.
Prosecutors alleged McVoy shot the Garcias after he was teased for supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The defense asserted McVoy shot Victor Garcia in self-defense after the latter allegedly made violent threats to McVoy and menaced him with a can opener. McVoy said he thought the device may have been a knife.
The bullet struck Garcia in the head, leaving him in a coma for months and resulting in two brain surgeries.
McVoy shot once at Victor Garcia, injuring the husband. He fired a second shot which struck Susan Garcia as she held the couple’s two-year-old son. McVoy said the second shot was fired during a scuffle over the weapon with one of the bandmates.
Susan Garcia died from her injuries at the scene. The child was not harmed.
Victor Garcia told jurors McVoy destroyed his family. “I wanted to grow old with her and raise our children,” he said of his wife. “She will never be able to see the fine young man my son is growing up to be.”
McVoy insisted he did not intend to hurt anyone and expressed remorse for the killing.
“I think about this every day,” he said.
Following four days of deliberation, the jury found McVoy not guilty of two counts of attempted murder with regards to Victor Garcia and his son, and not guilty of one count of child endangerment.
The judge sentenced McVoy to 15 years to life for the murder charge in connection with Susan Garcia, in addition to 20 years in a firearm sentencing enhancement. He was also ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution to the court. The parties will return to court for an additional restitution hearing for the victims’ expenses, including Garcia’s surgical bills, in March.
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