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W-B Farmers Market to open with leaf lettuce, squash, berries, more

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DEP fills in hole that swallowed Bowman Street resident last week

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Maria Brea was moving on.</p><p>The mother of two had enough of her boyfriend, Oscar Lozano Garcia, and was ready to finally rid herself of their relationship and begin the next chapter of her life, but Lozano Garcia had his own plans, prosecutors said.</p><p>Lozano Garcia had already arranged a ride to Mexico when he clenched his hands around his ex-lover&#8217;s neck and &#8220;choked the life out of her,&#8221; Assistant District Attorney Michelle Hardik said during openings of Lozano Garcia&#8217;s homicide trial Tuesday.</p><p>&#8220;This is a case of first-degree murder,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Hardik said evidence will show Lozano Garcia, 38, murdered Brea, 32, in &#8220;methodical process&#8221; in December 2012, then stuffed her bound, plastic-wrapped body in the padlocked attic of her second floor apartment on East Diamond Avenue in Hazleton. The body was discovered four days later.</p><p>Brea on Dec. 14, 2012 told Lozano Garcia their relationship was over and she wanted him out of her home, Hardik said. While Brea&#8217;s friends and family members fruitlessly tried to track her down in the hours and days that followed, Lozano Garcia had already fled the country, she said.</p><p>He was <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/archive/226305/news-local-news-1158405-area-homicide-suspect-is-captured-in-mexico-3" target="_blank">captured in Puebla, Mexico</a>, in January 2014 after eluding authorities for more than a year. He was extradited in June 2014 and an open count of criminal homicide was forwarded to Luzerne County Court the following month.</p><p>Hardik said forensic evidence will show Lozano Garcia&#8217;s fingerprints were discovered on duct tape and plastic wrap found in the apartment.</p><p>Lozano Garcia, holding his hand to an electronic ear piece linked to translator&#8217;s microphone, sat stoically behind his attorneys in a yellow polo shirt throughout Tuesday&#8217;s testimony. He indicated Monday he did not read, write, or understand English.</p><p>John Sobota, who is defending Lozano Garcia along with fellow public defender Mark Singer, contended whether the incident qualified as first-degree murder and urged Luzerne County President Judge Richard M. Hughes III to consider a voluntary manslaughter charge.</p><p>The judge will be the sole decider of Lozano Garcia&#8217;s fate after the homicide suspect on Monday <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/559617/jury-trial-waived-by-hazleton-man-who-allegedly-strangled-ex-girlfriend-hid-body-in-attic" target="_blank">waived his right to a jury trial</a>.</p><p>Sobota in his openings acknowledged the couple&#8217;s relationship was coming to an end, but said Lozano Garcia didn&#8217;t want to immediately move out of Brea&#8217;s apartment because he wanted to spend the Christmas holiday with Brea. He also suggested Brea had been seeing another man in Boston and lying to Lozano Garcia about it.</p><p>The case wasn&#8217;t one of &#8220;careful planning,&#8221; he said, noting that strangulation would occur &#8220;sudden(ly) and abrupt(ly).&#8221;</p><p>Sobota further argued the duct tape and plastic wrap on which Lozano Garcia&#8217;s fingerprints were found had been bought to insulate the apartment, not in preparation for murder.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s pure speculation the accused bought that for purpose of homicide. I think that&#8217;s a stretch,&#8221; Sobota said.</p><p>He asked Hughes to &#8220;consider the options&#8221; and exclude a verdict of first-degree murder.</p><p>Before openings were heard, Hughes allowed a commonwealth motion to refer to Brea as a &#8220;victim.&#8221; The judge also approved a motion filed Monday by prosecutors that said they intended to introduce through witness testimony evidence Brea was scared because Lozano Garcia was taking news of the breakup unusually well.</p><p>Brea&#8217;s sister, Santa Melenciano, 37, testified her sister said she was leaving Lozano Garcia and moving to Boston because he was &#8220;too jealous&#8221; and &#8220;too manipulative.&#8221; He didn&#8217;t yell or cry when Brea said the relationship was over, an odd response for him, she said.</p><p>&#8220;Other times he told her, &#8216;I can&#8217;t be without you,&#8217; but this time he took it so calm,&#8221; Melenciano said.</p><p>Brea&#8217;s sudden disappearance sent family and friends scrambling to find her, prosecutors said. Some drove around the neighborhood in hopes of locating her while others called 911 to report the missing mother, according to testimony.</p><p>Brea&#8217;s daughter, Amber Tedone, 18, testified she came home through an open back door and began eating food that was cooking on the stove. When her mother didn&#8217;t answer her phone calls, she called Lozano Garcia.</p><p>Laughing, Lozano Garcia allegedly told Tedone, &#8220;I left her at home,&#8221; she testified.</p><p>She said her mother had taken her and her brother to Boston the week before to look for apartments. She denied knowing anything about a second lover.</p><p>Across-the-hall neighbor Inoelia Salvador, 37, testified she was with Brea in the hours before she went missing. The two shared coffee in Brea&#8217;s apartment before Salvador left for work around 2 p.m., she testified.</p><p>As she left, Lozano Garcia was at the bottom of the stairway, she said.</p><p>&#8220;He was surprised to see me,&#8221; she said, noting he was usually at work at the time. &#8220;He was looking really nervous.&#8221;</p><p>Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday at 9 a.m.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lozano Garcia </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_LOZANO-GARCIA-oscar-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lozano Garcia </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL062916Lozano-Garcia1-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Oscar Lozano Garcia on Tuesday is led out of Penn Place following the first day of testimony in his criminal homicide trial. He is accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend and stuffing her plastic-wrapped body in her padlocked attic before fleeing the country. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL062916Lozano-Garcia1-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Oscar Lozano Garcia on Tuesday is led out of Penn Place following the first day of testimony in his criminal homicide trial. He is accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend and stuffing her plastic-wrapped body in her padlocked attic before fleeing the country. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Prosecutors say homicide suspect was methodical</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Prosecutors&#8217; timeline</strong></p><p>By Alyssa Mursch</p><p>news@www.timesleader.com</p><p><strong>Dec. 10, 2012 &#8211; Oscar Lozano Garcia allegedly plans escape</strong></p><p>According to the prosecution, one of Lozano Garcia&#8217;s coworkers said Lozano Garcia asked him for a ride to Mexico on Dec. 10, 2012, four days prior to Maria Brea&#8217;s disappearance.</p><p><strong>Dec. 14, 2012 &#8211; Maria Brea disappears</strong></p><p>The prosecution said that Brea was last seen alive on Dec. 14, 2012, the same day that she ended her relationship with Lozano Garcia. Brea did not pick up her son, Justin, from school that day, was not seen in her home and could not be reached by family and friends, who called 911 to report Brea missing. Prosecutors said Lozano Garcia showed up late to work that day and told coworkers he was going to Mexico. Coworkers also recalled Lozano Garcia showing them scratches on his face and forearms that day, which officials said they determined to be the date Brea was killed.</p><p><strong>Dec. 15, 2012 &#8211; Brea declared missing, Lozano Garcia flees</strong></p><p>Luzerne County 911 records show that after Brea&#8217;s family called to report her missing a second time on Dec. 15, 2012, Hazleton police officer Jeffrey Turse was sent to her East Diamond Avenue apartment and a missing persons report was filed. That same day, prosecutors said, Lozano Garcia began his journey to Mexico.</p><p><strong>Dec. 17, 2012 &#8211; Lozano Garcia arrives in Mexico</strong></p><p>The U.S. Customs and Border control confirmed that Lozano Garcia arrived in Mexico on Dec. 17, 2012, officials said.</p><p><strong>Dec. 18, 2012 &#8211; Brea&#8217;s body found wrapped in plastic and locked in attic</strong></p><p>According to prosecutors, Hazleton police found Brea&#8217;s body behind a padlocked, tape-sealed attic door, wrapped in plastic with duct tape binding her hands and feet. Her cause of death was later ruled as asphyxiation due to strangulation. Police said they found a total of 11 fingerprints on the tape on the door, as well as the tape on her body and ankles, allegedly matching those of Lozano Garcia. Hazleton police later filed an count of criminal homicide against him on Jan. 23.</p><p><strong>Jan. 27, 2014 &#8211; Police capture Lozano Garcia in Mexico.</strong></p><p>One year after the arrest warrant was filed, police apprehended Lozano Garcia and held him at a Mexico City prison pending extradition to the United States.</p><p><strong>June 10, 2014 &#8211; Lozano Garcia extradited from Mexico</strong></p><p>Lozano Garcia was held in a Mexico City prison for approximately five months before being extradited to the U.S. to face homicide charges.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Prosecutors: Hazleton homicide suspect ‘choked the life’ out of victim