He was charged for the decapitation of 20 year old Mara Neomi Garcia in June of 2005. But Robert Gillett won’t have to spend a single day in jail for it because today a jury acquitted the 20 year old of manslaughter and convicted him only of burglary. The burglary charge is for entering Floyd Brown’s home on June 10th of 2005. Police alleged that Gillett along with his brother john chessman broke into the house, raped Mara Garcia, sliced her throat, and then stole two samurai swords, a cell phone and some other items.
Both brothers were charged but the case against Gillett’s then 16 year old brother John Chessman was thrown out after a judge ruled his constitutional rights had been violated because he wasn’t interviewed in the presence of a parent or guardian. Robert Gillett had at the time pleaded guilty but the plea was rejected when at sentencing he told the judge he never knew his brother would harm Garcia.
And so Robert Gillett got a new trial which began Monday. The bulk of the prosecution’s case rested on Gillett’s caution statement in which he confessed to stealing the items from the house but says he didn’t harm Neomi Garcia. In a statement from the dock, Gillett disputed the statement – claiming police tortured him.
The jury deliberated for just over three hours before agreeing on the unanimous verdicts. Gillett will be sentenced next Wednesday and faces a minimum of 7 years in jail.
