Those close to Garcia case react to '48 Hours'

The murder of 27-year-old Christie Wilson captivated many of us, as did the trial and conviction of her killer, Mario Garcia. The recent airing of a "48 Hours Mystery" segment, which focused on the murder and an interview with her convicted killer, got me thinking: What did those close to the case think of the show?For those of you not completely up-to-date, Wilson was last seen Oct. 5, 2005 with Garcia. Without a body or a murder weapon, prosecutor Garen Horst, along with some 700-odd pieces of evidence, convinced a jury of Garcia's guilt. He's serving a 59-year-to life sentence for the murder.Now back to the show.Garcia was interviewed and to this day contends he doesn't know what happened to Wilson. A call to his wife, Jean, has yet to be returned. On the show, "The Biggest Gamble," Jean Garcia doesn't discuss the case or her husband's guilt or innocence. She said she wants to help find Christie Wilson. In fact there is information that Jean has contacted a psychic and private investigator to help locate Christie. Bill Carpenter, who has had a few run-ins and property disputes with Garcia, thought the show was a fair portrayal."Overall, I think it was - to coin a phrase - fair and balanced," he said. "The truth was quite apparent."He went on to say that if you give Garcia enough rope, he would hang himself. "It became clear what type of person (Mario) is. Now the nation knows he's a liar and a murderer," Campbell said.I bumped into, quite literally, Christie's stepfather Pat Boyd Tuesday at the Placer County Sheriff's Department. He was retrieving evidence - specifically Christie's suitcase and a few of her personal belongings."I was a little disappointed (in the show)," he said. "So much of the evidence wasn't shown."He was concerned that some viewers may walk away from the show with a feeling that the case against Garcia was weak."There just wasn't enough time to show what kind of an animal he is," Pat Boyd said.Debbie Boyd, the victim's mother, wasn't impressed either."I didn't like it," she said Tuesday. "I thought they went light on the evidence."Both Pat and Debbie said they understood the constraints of TV airtime."Our understanding was that the second hour would cover the trial and the evidence," she said. "It turned out to be a lot of his manipulation and that rubbed salt into the wound."Horst said he didn't see any glaring errors in the show."I thought they did a good job based on what they set out to portray," he said. "It wasn't a Court-TV show or a real in-depth look at the trial."Let me throw my two-cents into the ring. I watched with much anticipation. It was pretty much a "48 Hours" date night at my house. I worked with the producers, Paul La Rosa and Melissa Sanford, throughout the trial. We often chatted over lunch about the case, Garcia's guilt or innocence and how we felt the trial was going.I was hoping that more evidence would be covered. There were so many inconsistencies with Garcia's version of that fateful night in October and the days following. He simply did not come up with satisfactory responses to simple questions. When asked how Wilson's DNA got into his car, Garcia simply replied, "I don't know."It didn't work for the jury who said it was never a question of guilt. They spent less than three days deliberating before agreeing on a charge of first-degree murder.With the trial behind them, the Boyds held a memorial for Christie last month. Throughout it all Debbie remains confident that her daughter's remains will be found."She'll be found through the efforts and the manipulation of Garcia from prison," she said.With one homicide successfully prosecuted without a body, the Placer County District Attorney's Office is on the heels of a second. Paul Kovacich has been charged with the 1982 murder of his wife Janet. Her body has never been found. With a gag order in place, there isn't much fodder for TV at this point. However, "48 Hours" is poking around and it's possible that the Kovacich case could hit prime time.Stay tuned. Penne Usher's e-mail is penneu@ goldcountrymedia.com.