Biloxi man pleads guilty in slaying of three jewelry store employees in Jackson
A Biloxi man faces life in prison in a robbery gone bad that left three people dead inside a Jackson business.
Joshua Michael Garcia, 42, pleaded guilty on Thursday to discharging a firearm during the commission of a robbery that killed three people, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.
The robbery and shooting occurred at Bill’s Coin and Jewelry in the Jackson area on Dec. 17, 2016.
Authorities say Garcia, along with co-defendent Jamison Layne Townsend, went into the business to perform an armed robbery. During the crime, Garcia shot and killed three employees.
Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22 in Jackson and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department, with assistance from Geary County, Kansas Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Mississippi State Crime Laboratory, United States Marshal’s Service, Gulfport Police Department and Biloxi Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.
