Man charged with murder in beating death of father

ALBUQUERQUE – APD detectives arrested Clayton Garcia on Saturday after he admitted to brutally beating his father, Jorge Garcia, at a home they shared. Jorge Garcia, 74, died on Sunday as a result of his wounds, and detectives charged him with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence.

APD officers responded early Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, to a report that an individual was on the ground and a man was yelling for someone to die. Officers arrived at the home, located at 817 Madeira Dr., N.E. and saw a male in the driveway spraying his feet with a water hose.

Officers identified the male as Clayton Garcia, 29, who said he was in an altercation with his father. Clayton stated, “He reached in through the window, said he was going to murder me, so I kicked his ass.”

Officers found Jorge Garcia on the ground and partially underneath a vehicle. Clayton Garcia later told detectives that his father was upset with him when he returned from a party and he was being loud. As he attempted to leave in a vehicle his father usually drives, his father confronted him and broke the window in the car and tried to pull him out. Clayton Garcia said he started kicking his father, but did not remember how many times.

Clayton Garcia also told detectives that he needed his father to die because dying in a fight was the only way for him to get to “Valhalla.”

Jorge Garcia was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Detectives were informed late Sunday that Garcia died as a result of his wounds.