DA to prosecute Hampden murder suspect
Date: 8/9/2010
Aug. 9, 2010By Chris Maza
Reminder Assistant Editor
HAMPDEN -- Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett will be the lead council in the trial of the murder of Valerie Girouard.
A representative from the District Attorney's office confirmed to
Reminder Publications that Bennett will prosecute 19-year-old Jesus Gilberto Garcia for murdering the 47-year-old Girouard of 90 Main St. in Hampden, as well as eight other charges. Bennett was on vacation and not available for comment at press time.
Garcia is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 24.
Garcia was arraigned in the Hampden County District Court in Palmer on July 30 and charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder while armed, two counts of attempt to commit aggravated rape, one count of home invasion and three counts of assault in a dwelling while armed, according to the District Attorney's office.
Court documents report that Hampden police responded to a 911 call at 3 a.m. on July 30 stating a man had been stabbed or shot.
In the course of responding to the call, Hampden police officers Jason Roath and David Houle found 15-year-old Mariah Girouard running down the middle of the road towards them.
She waved to get their attention, was "crying hysterically" and attempted to get into the cruiser, saying, "My ex- boyfriend is at my house killing everybody," according to a report filed by Sgt. William G. Joy, Jr. She went on to identify Garcia as the man who broke into her house and killed her mother. She said he was still in the house wearing a mask and wielding a knife.
When Roath and Houle arrived at the scene, they found a man, now identified as Kurt Haarmann, lying in the street with stab wounds. Haarmann, 55, was identified in the report as a resident of 90 Main St. and a friend of Girouard. He was treated by the officers at the scene, and then transported to Baystate Medical Center.
Officers then saw Girouard lying on the floor of the kitchen through a back window of the house and upon entering the premises found her dead from stab wounds.
Mariah told police she was sleeping at the residence when she heard Haarmann yelling, "Why are you doing this. Please don't kill us." She ran into the kitchen to find Garcia wearing a mask and a dark shirt and naked from the waist down stabbing her mother as Haarmann attempted to stop him.
Mariah attempted to escape out the front door, but Garcia grabbed her by the hair, pulled her back into the residence and stabbed her mother again.
She then succeeded in escaping through the front door, ran to a neighbor's house and screamed for help.
The report adds that Mariah said she had spoken with Garcia by phone at approximately 1 a.m.
This incident was the second time in two weeks in which Garcia had broken into the residence and assaulted Mariah Girouard.
On July 21, while wearing a disguise, Garcia pressed a knife to Mariah Girouard's throat and attempted to remove her shorts and separate her legs. Garcia was confronted by Valerie Girouard and left the home.
The documents at the Palmer District Court clerk's office regarding the case make no mention of a prior complaint or restraining order filed against Garcia.
Mariah told police Garcia lived on Fountain Street in Springfield. Springfield police arrest records show that Garcia was found by police at 314 Fountain St., Apt. 2 the same day.
According to the Hampden County District Attorney's office, Garcia was brought in for questioning by Hampden police in conjunction with Massachusetts State Police and was subsequently arrested at 9:18 a.m.
The Hampden Police Department declined to elaborate further on the events, directing all inquiries to the Hampden County District Attorney's office.
A representative from the District Attorney's office told Reminder Publications that no additional details would be released at this time other than those already a matter of public record.
