Richardson man arrested in death of Fort Worth woman found in burning car

Police remained tight-lipped Wednesday night about the arrest of a suspect in the beating and strangling death of a Fort Worth woman whose body was left to burn inside a car in Dallas on June 20.

Dallas police obtained a capital murder warrant for Manual Rocha Jr., 26, of Richardson a day after the body of 20-year-old Alexus Garcia was found in the back of a burning green Fiat in the 2200 block of Royal Lane.

A police spokesman on Wednesday said he could not provide any information about the circumstances of Rocha’s arrest.

Garcia’s mother said police have given her no information either.

“They tell us this is an ‘ongoing investigation’ and they are ‘working on it 24/7,’” said Chrissie Corey, 37, of Fort Worth.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office ruled that Garcia died of strangulation and blunt force head injuries.

“I know my daughter and I know she put up a fight,” Corey said. “The beating that she took and the strangulation — it didn’t happen very quickly.”

She believes someone must have heard her daughter’s screams.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Garcia drove to Rocha’s address in the 300 block of Brookwood Drive at 2:15 a.m. June 20 and sent a map of her location via text to a friend.

“They talked about her safety, and she went inside the house,” the affidavit states.

Garcia texted the friend a few more times but then stopped communicating after 4:47 a.m.

Security video from a store near Rocha’s house showed him putting something in the back of Garcia’s car and then driving it away. Garcia was never seen leaving the home where Rocha lived with family, the affidavit states.

Rocha’s ID and a damaged cell phone were in the Fiat, the affidavit states.

Corey said her daughter drove a pickup. The Fiat belonged to her daughter’s boyfriend’s mother. Garcia had been living with the boyfriend at the mother’s house for two months.

“I personally feel like someone has been helping Rocha hide out,” Corey said. “He fled from the burning car — someone must have picked him up.”

Rocha was seen running from the burning car the morning of Garcia’s death.

A Dallas police report states that Rocha had solicited Garcia for sex and then killed her.

Corey said her only child wouldn’t have done that.

“I am not sure why she was at his house,” Corey said. “The police have not given me any information on that, but I think she was victimized and didn’t know what she was doing.”

Corey said the medical examiner’s autopsy showed no signs of drugs in her system.

Garcia, who was born and raised in Fort Worth, went to Haltom High School where she played softball. She spent her senior year at Fossil Ridge High School after the family moved, and went on to study at Tarrant County College.

“I just don’t want her portrayed as some prostitute,” her mom said. “She had a ton of friends and a family that loved her. She played sports since she was 4 years old. She volunteered at horse ranches.”

Her father, Chris Garcia, said his daughter was a “jeans and boots kind of girl” who was embarrassed to be seen in a bikini.

He said he was at least grateful that his daughter’s body was returned to the family for a proper burial.

He spoke of Christina Morris, the 23-year-old Fort Worth resident who has been missing since August 2014 from a Plano parking garage.

“I can’t imagine what her family is going through not knowing where their child is,” he said.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Richardson man arrested in death of Fort Worth woman found in burning car."