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California man who backed Clinton in 2016 gets 35 years to life for murder in fight over election

Defendant's attorney argued client acted in self defense

Published: December 30, 2021 2:11pm

Updated: December 30, 2021 2:25pm

A California man who supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 was sentenced this week to 35 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a woman during an argument about the presidential race. 

The incident occurred Jan. 10, 2017, when defendant John Kevin McVoy Jr. was told by a bandmate to "Get the f--- out of my house," after McVoy revealed he had voted for Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, according to Fox News.

McVoy then fired two shots. One hit the bandmate, identified by the Press-Enterprise of Southern California as Victor Garcia, in the head. 

The second shot struck Garcia's wife, Susan Garcia, killing her while she held the couple's 2-year-old, who was unharmed in the incident. 

The 40-year-old McVoy was eventually subdued by fellow bandmates who had assembled at the Garcias’ Long Beach home for a practice session, Fox News also reports. 

Victor Garcia reportedly spent months in a coma afterward and required two brain surgeries plus physical therapy to relearn basic life skills.

McVoy's attorney argued during the trial, which ended in November, that his client acted in self-defense, claiming Garcia had made threats to him and grabbed a can opener that McVoy thought may have been a knife, the Press-Enterprise also reported.

The jury acquitting McVoy on two counts of attempted murder regarding Victor Garcia and the child but found him guilty of murdering Susan Garcia, the news report also states.

The judge sentenced McVoy to 15 years to life for the killing and to 20 years for a firearm enhancement, the newspaper reported.

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