SAN DIEGO — According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation [CDCR], the man convicted of killing Christie Lynn Wilson, 27, is now dead.
The CDCR confirmed Mario Garcia, 68, died in a hospital on Dec. 24, 2020, while serving a life sentence in Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Garcia was in a hospital outside of the correctional facility when he died at 12:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The CDCR could not provide details as to why Garcia was in the hospital and said the cause of death had not been confirmed.
Garcia was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole after he was convicted for Wilson's murder, who died in 2005. Garcia was convicted despite the fact Wilson's body had not been found. It was later found in August 2020.
Wilson was last seen in the Thunder Valley Casino's parking lot, where she was gambling with Garcia. Placer County Sheriff's Office reported in August 2020 they found Wilson's remains on the 4.5-acre lot of Garcia's former home.
