A 37-year-old Morgan Hill man is facing a murder charge after police say he drove to a San Jose hospital with his wife in the vehicle and told staff that he had killed her at their home.
Roy Anthony Lopez arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital on the morning of Oct. 3 and reportedly told people there that his wife had been killed. Police were contacted at about 9:20 a.m., and officers found the woman inside the vehicle in the hospital parking lot.
Emergency personnel attempted to provide medical care, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say the killing took place at a home on the 1100 block of Vintage Lane in Morgan Hill. Police said no firearm was involved, although authorities have not publicly disclosed how the woman died.
The victim was later identified as 34-year-old Jasmyne Garcia, a Salinas native. She was described by her family as a loving mother, daughter and sister.
The case has also raised serious concerns about the couple’s three children, who were inside the Morgan Hill home when officers arrived. Police found the children, ages 14, 6 and 3, during a protective sweep of the residence.
Authorities believe the children may have witnessed the attack. They were taken into protective custody and later placed with the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Lopez was detained at the hospital without incident before Morgan Hill officers took him into custody for questioning. Police later booked him into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder.
Investigators have not announced a motive for the killing.
Lopez is expected to appear in Santa Clara County court on the murder charge. The case is still under investigation, and authorities are continuing to work to establish the circumstances surrounding Garcia’s death.
The investigation also includes determining what happened inside the Morgan Hill home before Lopez drove to San Jose and what the children may have witnessed.
As the legal case moves forward, the three children remain in protective custody while investigators continue gathering evidence.
