Graphic photos displayed in murder trial

EDINBURG - Prosecutors displayed graphic photos Friday of a 25-year-old Alton woman's 58 stab wounds during the third day of her alleged killer's trial.

With so many potentially fatal injuries, investigators could not pinpoint exactly which one caused Yrazema Placencia's death last year, Hidalgo County Forensic Pathologist Norma Jean Farley said.

Placencia died Aug. 13, 2007, on the front lawn of her Alton home moments after her common-law husband - Daniel Garcia, 32 - allegedly stabbed her over and over again.

While he does not deny that he killed his wife, his attorney has maintained throughout the proceedings that Garcia flew into a rage after Placencia told him she was leaving and filing for custody of the couple's two young children.

State law allows juries to make a distinction between premeditated killings and those done in the heat of the moment when deciding a murder sentence.

While reviewing her autopsy report for jurors Friday, Farley noted that Placencia had sustained cuts to the carotid arteries and jugular veins in her neck - any of which may have caused her to bleed to death.

The young mother also sustained injuries to her liver, kidney and spleen which also could have played a role.

"Even if she had received immediate medical attention, there's no way she would have survived," Farley said.

Garcia has remained in custody since his arrest last year. If convicted, he could face punishments ranging from probation to life in prison.

His trial is expected to resume Monday.

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