A Concord man, David Kyle Lubkin, was sentenced to life behind bars for the cold-blooded murder of a Santa Rosa teen at the Petaluma Outlets in 2019, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office has confirmed. Lubkin, 30, received 50 years to life for first-degree murder and discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle causing death.
The grisly incident unfolded on September 28, 2019, when 19-year-old Ezequiel Garcia was fatally shot by Lubkin. The killer had arranged to meet the victim under the pretense of buying a necklace from a Craigslist ad. However, the deal turned deadly when Lubkin confronted Garcia over a previous transaction and opened fire as the victim attempted to flee, according to a statement provided by the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.
District Attorney Rodriguez addressed the severity of the crime, stating, "Mr. Lubkin's well-planned murder has caused immeasurable harm to Mr. Garcia's family." Rodriguez expressed hope that the sentencing would aid the family's ability to move on. The investigation, led by Sgt. Walt Spiller of the Petaluma Police Department, stretched over weeks following the testimony of two eyewitnesses that catalyzed the arrest of Lubkin.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Laura Passaglia condemned the act, labeling it the "ultimate act of violence" and "as senseless a murder as they come." Passaglia, imposing the law's maximum sentence, decried Lubkin's lack of remorse, adding that he carried out "a callous shooting to death of an unarmed man fleeing ... because it insulted your ego." Lubkin remained silent at the hearing, offering no statement of remorse or explanation for his heinous actions, the Sonoma County DA's Office reported.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Henning and Deputy District Attorney Brian Morimune, with District Attorney Investigator Alexis Bartley assisting the process. Lubkin, now set to spend decades in prison, leaves behind a family torn by violence and a community grappling with the aftermath of a senseless loss.
