Attorneys again deferred the plea of David Vincent Reyes, the
man who police say confessed to killing former Garlic Queen Franca
Barsi, in a tense Friday morning hearing that brought the Barsi and
Reyes families an aisle’s distance from each other.
Gilroy – Attorneys again deferred the plea of David Vincent Reyes, the man who police say confessed to killing former Garlic Queen Franca Barsi, in a tense Friday morning hearing that brought the Barsi and Reyes families an aisle’s distance from each other.
Reyes confessed to killing Barsi, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, about a year ago in a fit of rage after the two argued at her Westwood Drive condominium, police said.
The 41-year-old man led Gilroy police on an hour-long car chase from San Jose to Gilroy and back the next morning, and was arrested Sept. 14, 2006. His criminal record is splotched with past convictions, including assault with intent to commit rape.
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani and defense attorney Carl Beatty agreed to delay Reyes’ plea three weeks to Friday, Oct. 5.
“My understanding is the attorneys are still talking, and we need a couple more weeks,” said Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon.
Barsi’s murder shook those who knew her, and those who didn’t. The Gilroy mother’s death is frequently invoked by survivors of domestic violence and others touched by violent crime, and spurred several abused women to seek help last fall.
Advocates from Community Solutions, a nonprofit that addresses domestic violence and sexual assault issues, packed the courtroom Friday, and offered solace to Mara Barsi, the victim’s mother, and Lauretta Avina, her sister, after the courtroom emptied.
