Adolfo Garcia, also known as Adolfo Orozco-Garcia, convicted in connection to the deadly 2019 Alpine Motel fire that resulted in six deaths, was sentenced Tuesday to serve a minimum of 19 months, with the possibility of extending up to 48 months for each of the three counts. The sentencing follows Garcia's earlier guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter charges and wanton disregard of safety resulting in substantial bodily harm or death, this sentence being set by Judge Jacqueline Bluth who indicated she had considered a more severe penalty, reports KTNV.
During sentencing, the traumatic severity of the fire was revisited, Garcia has 90 days to get his affairs in order before he must turn himself in, as ordered by Judge Bluth the Alpine Motel Apartments tragedy resulted in not only the loss of life but also left thirteen individuals injured and over fifty residents without a home, according to KTNV. Surveillance and body-cam footage presented in court showed the dire conditions faced by tenants as they scrambled to escape through second-story windows, amidst smoke and without audible fire alarms or sprinklers.
In court, Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani emphasized the absence of basic safety measures like audible alarms and sprinklers and mentioned that victims likely became disoriented due to heavy smoke. The prosecution's narrative, backed by an investigation from News 3 LV, painted a picture of repeated complaints and a 34-year history of fire safety violation at the motel.
Garcia's attorney Dominic Gentile argued that despite the horrific outcome, his client did not act with intent to harm also pointing to other individuals who shared the blame for the building's safety deficiencies. Garcia was originally charged with 27 counts before entering an Alford plea, which enabled him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging sufficient evidence for probable conviction, this plea allowed him to circumvent a trial, he had been out on $50,000 bail prior to the sentencing, as per KTNV.
Following the fire and court proceedings, the Alpine Motel property was sold and has since been renovated and renamed to DLUX Lofts, closing a chapter on its dark history and starting a new one in downtown Las Vegas, an update shared by KTNV.
