On Friday, convicted murderer and illegal immigrant Julio Blanco Garcia was sentenced to 49 years' imprisonment for the June 2010 murder of northern Virginia resident Vanessa Pham. True to form, in covering the story, the Washington Post's Rachel Weiner and Justin Jouvenal completely omitted the fact that Blanco Garcia was an illegal immigrant.
But in addition to omitting Blanco Garcia's illegal status, the Post reporters left out another nugget noted by at least one other local media outlets: local prosecutors believe that Blanco Garcia's motive initially was to rape Pham, contrary to his insistence he was merely driven to a moment of homicidal rage in a fit of PCP-fueled paranoia. Reported WTOP.com:
Ray Morrogh, county commonwealth's attorney, said he asked the jury for a life sentence and he was disappointed with the jury's recommendation.
"I think this case is more about lust rather than PCP. We maintain and we've always maintained that Mr. Blanco Garcia abducted Vanessa (Pham) to rape her," Morrogh said.
Pham fought back but ended up losing that fight and losing her life too, he said.
For our full archive on media bias in the Vanessa Pham murder trial, click here.
